


The empty glass of truth

by CALLEN37



Category: NCIS: Los Angeles
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Secrets, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-12
Updated: 2014-06-25
Packaged: 2017-12-29 05:02:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 27,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1001193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CALLEN37/pseuds/CALLEN37
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Deeks' life is turned upside down with the kidnapping of his mother...Hetty is surprise by the shocking revelation that his mother is someone she believed to be dead. Written for NCISLAADDICT, Complete.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Deeks woke up an annoying buzzing noise in his ear. After hitting his alarm clock a few times he realized it was his phone, "What's up Kenz?" he asked still half asleep.

"Marty...Marty is that you?" a woman's voice sounded shaky down the phone.

"Mom? What's wrong?" Deeks immediately shot up in bed wide awake.

There was a scuffle, a scream and a thud. Then the phone went dead. Deeks shot out of bed and pulled his jeans and sneakers on.

Deek pulled up less than 5 minutes later outside his mothers' house. Jumping out of the car and not even waiting to close the door he ran into his mother's home. "MOM!" he yelled looking around the house, the once immaculate rooms had been trashed, books, papers and glass everywhere. He pulled his gun, taking it in room, by room, whoever had been through here had been violent with every room, this didn't seem like a normal robbery. He stopped as he saw a hand sticking out from behind the counter in the kitchen, walking around the corner gun drawn he let out a shaky sob of relief when he realized it wasn't his mother, but the hand of a strange blond haired man.

He heard a noise out the back and ran towards it; he looked out in time to see his mother, her blonde hair whipped round in frenzy as she saw him.

"MARTIN RUN!" She screamed as she was thrown into a dark colored SUV.

"Mom!" Deeks yelled he took a step towards her as a bright light exploded in the back of his head and he went down, the last thing he heard was the sound of sirens in the distance and a deep male voice talking in a language he didn't understand. Then it all went dark.

* * *

Slowly the light brightened and pain came swiftly into his head, he could hear voices again, he felt a hand touch his arm and immediately his fight or flight response kicked in.

"Deeks…Deeks…you're ok, you're in hospital." A familiar voice cut through his haze.

"No…Can't stay…have to find her…" Deeks said still pulling away from the hands that held him down.

He opened his eyes blinking rapidly trying to organize his addled brain.

"Deeks, what happened, LAPD said they found you unconscious in a house with a dead man about a mile from your home?" Callen asked.

"I didn't…." he turned to one side and vomited into a bowl as the nausea swept through him, "Didn't kill him…mom…."

"Your mom killed a man?" Sam asked.

Deeks tried to nod but the pain was too great. "Where is she?" Kensi asked.

"They took her…" Deeks said,

"We'll have Eric run traffic cam footage, we'll find her." Callen promised.

"I thought after he died, she'd be safe, she's always been so scared." Deeks said more to himself than anyone else.

"After who died?" Callen asked.

Deeks turned away and tried to sit up, "The doc said you have a concussion, you need to rest." Kensi said gently trying to push him down onto the bed.

"No, I need to find my mom." Deeks said reaching down fighting the nausea to look for his shoes.

* * *

He stopped as two men walked in the room. "Martin A Deeks?" the taller of the two men asked.

Deeks blinked as his teammates moved to act as a buffer between him and the two men. "Yeah?" Deeks asked.

"You need to come with us?" The older and shorter of the men said.

"Who are you?" Callen asked.

"Need to know." The taller man snapped.

"And we need to know." Sam said standing in between them.

"Look my name is Agent Bailey CIA." The taller man said, "We are taking Mr. Deeks into protective custody, he's not in any trouble."

Callen looked at the two men, "Stay there." He said to Deeks and walked out.

"What's all this about?" Sam asked.

Agent Bailey looked at the blond man sitting on the bed, he knew the news he'd deliver would in effect change this man's life if he hadn't been told already, and if he already knew then he was indeed in danger.

"Mr. Deeks, instructions we have been ordered to bring you in, we have seen what happened and have dealt with the suspect your mother killed."

Deeks shot upright and grabbed the smaller agent by the throat and pushed him against the wall, "My mothers' no killer!" he snarled.

The older Agent laughed. "I've worked with your mother; she's the best damn assassin we've ever seen."

Deeks took two steps backward. "What?"

The older agent sighed, "Until this morning we though she was dead, she's done a damn good job of staying off our radar, but she's already lost one family, and I suppose she was just trying to keep you safe."

"You're lying." Deeks said shaking his head ignoring the shooting pain he was experiencing.

"Yeah." The older agent said sarcastically.

He put his hand on Deeks' shoulder and using well practiced moves, without thinking Deeks disarmed him and moved backwards into the hallway. Sam and Kensi looked on in amazement, Deeks had only been with the team a year, and he'd never shown moves like that before, even in hand to hand combat training at OSP.

Tucking the gun in his waistband, Deeks slipped backwards out of the room and ran full pelt for the stairs.

* * *

Eric stood in OPS as Hetty gave him a rundown of what had happened as far as Callen knew. Within moments Hetty was staring open mouthed as she looked at the terrified face of the woman on the screen. The face of a woman that Hetty knew to have been dead for over 35 years.

"Mr. Callen, I need you and Mr. Deeks in here now!" she ordered.

"What is it?" Callen asked.

"A ghost…." Hetty breathed not realizing she had spoken aloud.

Callen turned and walked straight into Deeks sneaking down the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Callen asked.

"I'm not going with them…I don't care what they say about her,"

"Hetty has some information that may help; she wants us to come to ops."

Deeks nodded and followed Callen down the stairs.

Callen sent Sam a text and the two CIA agents followed him and Kensi downstairs where Callen and Deeks met them.

"Our boss says you need to come with us." Callen said.

Both CIA agents looked at him with a sneer, "And who is your boss?"

"Hetty Lange." Callen smirked as the two men looked scared.

"OK, Agent Bailey said, "We didn't know you worked for Hetty, we'll come as we have our orders." He said. The shorter agent looked unimpressed.

"Never believed anything they said about Hetty." He snapped.

"Believe it Agent Carmichael." Bailey said to him sharply.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Hetty paced ops looking at the face of Marty's mother, ignoring the concerned looks she was getting from Eric and Nell.

She did his background check, she knew about his father, she knew about the abuse he and his mother had suffered while he was a child, and she knew about his father's incarceration…. _ **How had she missed this!**_

She knew when she told them, both her agents were going to flip. She worried that this would break the team dynamics that one Agent would go 'lone wolf' while the other would harbor the blame for this.

She sat heavily in Nell's chair.

"Hetty, are you ok?" Nell asked concerned.

Hetty nodded, "I fear my dear, that we are in for some tough times ahead." She admitted. "I need you to clear OPS, when the others get back send Agent Deeks up to me, then when I call send Agent Callen only." She ordered.

Nell and Eric confused, nodded their assent and went downstairs.

Hetty turned to the screen, "Oh Clara, what have you done." She sighed, looking into the scared face of the woman on the big screen; she stared intently trying to see similarities to both her agents and couldn't see how she'd missed it.

* * *

Deeks sat in the back of the car scowling, his mother was, God knows where and Hetty had insisted that they all come back to ops and worse of all they had two CIA agents following in the car behind apparently charged with making sure Deeks didn't run away. He couldn't get his head around this, His mom, his blonde haired blue-eyed mom, with the quick smile and the sad eyes, who would send prayers up to her lost babies every night and would hold Marty as a child telling him her was precious to her and she tried to protect him every night from his father, who would hurt his mother and scream at her for loving her other family more than him and how he felt like a second class citizen in her life.

Deeks let a tear slide down his face as he remembered how when strangers would come to the house she would make him hide, she was, he knew a brave woman, but she was so sad and so scared of losing him.

He jolted back to the present as Sam pulled the challenger up outside the old water administration plant. Not waiting for the car to completely come to a stop he jumped out, with the CIA Agents on their heels all walked into the building, the two CIA Agents stopping briefly as the difference between the condemned outside of the building and the fully functioning interior hit them.

Nell stood on the stairs to Ops, "Deeks is to go up first, Agent Callen you are to go up when Hetty calls me."

Deeks not waiting bounded up the stairs, Callen turned on Nell, "What's going on?" he asked.

Nell shook her head, "I really don't know only when we pulled up the footage of Deeks' mom, and she looked shocked and shaken."

"I'm going up Nell." Callen said and tried to step around her.

Nell stood in his way, "Callen…Give her this time, I don't know what is going on yet, but I have never seen Hetty look this venerable." She said resting her hand on Callen's arm to placate him.

Callen let out a deep breath; you keep an eye on the phone." he said wanting her to be ready to call him.

* * *

Deeks walked into ops, he stopped seeing the picture of his mother on the screen, "Mom!" he took a step, "Hetty why isn't Eric in here, he should be tracking that van, and finding them…." He stopped and looked at her shocked face, "You…you haven't already?…she isn't…?" He couldn't ask.

Hetty turned and looked at him for the first time since he'd entered, "No, Mr. Deeks, As far as we know she is still alive."

She pulled out a chair, "Tell me about your mother?" She asked.

Deeks shrugged he didn't know how this would help find her, but following Hetty's lead he went with it, "She's a strong woman, but sad, she's seen too much, you know…she's always been overprotective of me, little things like always knowing where I am, she taught me how to defend myself, she's kinda paranoid, but not crazy…I mean, I don't tell her I surf, she's terrified of the beach, she never let me go as a child. She won't go to a mall, but she says it's to support small businesses. She doesn't like hospitals, she won't go to one, and she sees this local holistic lady….Why do you want to know all this Hetty?" Deeks asked.

"So your mother lives off the radar?" Hetty asked her voice neutral.

Deeks shrugged, "You know my past, and she has a right to be cautious," he responded guardedly.

Hetty nodded, "Those Agents Hetty, they say mom is a k…killer. I mean look at her, she's barely 5'8, she has her secrets sure, I know I had bigger brothers and sisters, she talked about them, they died, so of course she's overprotective, I mean I don't know if my father killed them or they died as babies, she never tells me she just got really sad, so I never asked. Hetty  _ **what**_  is going on?" Deeks asked again.

Hetty turned to Deeks, "I am sorry, Marty, You are about to find some things out that you didn't know about your mother." Hetty said,

Deeks shook his head and backed away from her, "There is no way my mother was a trained assassin…She lived with my father for crying out loud, she wouldn't have put up with that if she could have just killed him."

"I think your mother loved your father, and was protecting you."

Deeks' voice rose and was heard down the stairs, " _ **HETTY WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON**_!" he shouted.

* * *

Callen ran up the stairs whatever was going on with Deeks wasn't good. But he didn't need to be yelling at Hetty for it.

He ran into ops and stopped as he looked at the picture on the screen, the hair was different to his picture and the woman was older, sure. But his heart stopped as he skidded to a halt…. "Mom?" he breathed and realized that Hetty was looking at him apologetically and Deeks confused.

"Deeks…" Callen turned and stared at the detective. "Who is that…to you?" he said his voice calm, but his hands balled in fists like he was ready to strike.

Deeks looked at Callen like he'd lost his mind, "It's my mother, Clara Deeks."

Callen's eyes flashed with what was to Deeks a familiar anger and he took a step back as Callen whirled on Hetty. "You told me she was dead, you said you had proof…. _ **I saw her!"**_  He yelled.

"What's going on?" Deeks asked as he watched the senior agent get angry, not with him as he'd expected, for yelling, but with Hetty.

"I…I didn't know." Hetty said softly ignoring Deeks' question.

Callen took an angry step towards Hetty, "There is  _ **nothing**_ you don't know, I know you knew and you didn't tell me…Why, why didn't you tell me?"

Hetty looked sad, "I assure you both I didn't know, I swear had I known I would have told you both."

Callen walked to the door, "Let me out, I'm going to find her and Deeks is coming with me." He ordered.

Deeks looked totally confused, "Callen?"

Callen turned to Deeks, "We either stay here with  _ **her**_  and the CIA or are you coming with me to find _ **our**_  mother."

Deeks took a step back, "Our….?"

Hetty walked over to Deeks, "Your mother Clara Deeks was once Clara Callen."

"No…" Deeks shook his head, "No…I was there with you Callen, we went to Romania, you said your mother was shot there, you said she had died….My mother never leaves her house, she only goes to the grocery store, she's never been more than five blocks from her house…EVER! She's never taken me to the beach, she wouldn't allow me to go as….a…child…because…" Deeks' voice trailed off as he remembered her, the one time she had raised her voice to him as he'd wanted to go with his friends to the beach…..

* * *

"But Mom…Please. Everyone's going, it'll only be for a few hours and I'll be back by dark." He argued.

"NO, you are not going to the beach  _ **ever!**_ Do you hear me Martin?" She said her deep blue eyes staring into his the fear radiating off of her face.

"I won't even go in the water mom. Please!" he begged.

"NO…Martin Aaron Deeks, you promise me right now you will  _ **never**_  go to the beach." She said grasping him by the shoulders.

12 year old Marty looked at his mother, he had seen her afraid before but this was terror, he hadn't seen her so upset since the night he'd shot his father and the police had taken him away.

"I'm sorry momma…but why? Why can't I go with my friends?" He asked.

"Because…" Clara said,

* * *

"Because?" Callen asked jogging Deeks back to the present.

"Because that's where her babies died….." Deeks said looking at his mother's face on the plasma all color draining from his face as he realized Callen was his brother.

"I'll give you two a few moments…" Hetty said moving past them.

"Call Eric, we need to find out where they took her." Callen said moving into Agent mode.

For the few moments they were alone Deeks looked at Callen. "Callen, I…I'm sorry, if I had known I'd have told you, you know that right?" he said.

Callen nodded, "We will find her Marty…I promise."

 


	3. Chapter 3

Deeks stood behind the table in OPS as Callen waited for Eric and the team to arrive. Hetty walked back in, with Sam and Kensi behind her.

"I take it you are both ready to go with the CIA Agents." Hetty said looking at Callen and Deeks.

"No." Both of them said as one.

Hetty smiled, "I thought not."

"Where's Eric?" Callen asked.

"Here…I'm here!" Eric called as he ran up the last few steps and into OPS.

"So what do you have?" Deeks asked; if his big brother could be professional about it, he could too. Any falling apart he needed to do, and yeah he needed to do some would and could be handled later when their mother was safe.

Eric brought up the footage again.

"She's pretty," Kensi said to herself.

Callen and Deeks both smiled at her.

"So the van was outside for half an hour, three men entered two left…" Eric said, Deeks nodded knowing Clara had dispatched one in the kitchen.

"I have been checking the traffic cameras in the area, we have a sighting on the van at 06.21 it headed towards the PCH and we lost it near San Diego,"

"Well find it!" Callen snapped.

Kensi and Sam gave him a look; but wisely said nothing.

"Do you have anything on the people who took the van?" Kensi asked.

"Nothing, the van was reported stolen from two blocks away from Deeks' mothers house."

"We know who took the van and we know why…" Callen snapped. "What we need to know is where she is?"

"Mr. Callen a word." Hetty said and led him from the room by his arm.

She led him to the hallway, "Mr. Callen if you can't keep your head I will insist both you and Mr. Deeks go into protective custody."

Callen felt guilty, he knew his urgency in finding their mother was causing him to snap more than normal. "I can do this Hetty, I can't let Deeks down…please, I need to stay on this."

"Very well, Mr. Callen; However I will be keeping an eye on you." She informed him.

Callen walked back into OPS and immediately apologized to Eric, "I'm sorry Eric, you're doing a good job; do you have anything else for us?"

As he asked Eric's computer beeped.

"We got a hit, it was on the old PCH the 101, he's parked up at a shack near the beach," Eric said sending the GPS co-ordinates to their phones.

At that both Deeks and Callen moved and ran for the door.

"Mr. Callen….Mr. Deeks!" Hetty called.

The two CIA agents stepped out from by the bottom of the stairs.

"Agent Callen, Detective Deeks, we have been ordered to take you both into custody."

Callen shot Deeks a look and he nodded, as one, as if they had been doing it for years they both punched one agent each and carried on towards the car.

Sam stopped and looked at Kensi, "What is wrong with those two? And when did we switch partners?"

"I fear Mr. Hanna in this they are unstoppable, you and Ms Blye should follow them, they will need your help." She stopped as she heard a car start, "And I suggest you take Ms Blye's car Mr. Hanna, it looks like Mr. Callen has stolen your car again!" She gave him a small smile as he felt in his pocket for his missing keys.

"Hell!" Sam cussed as he and Kensi raced to follow them.

Eric and Nell sat in ops joined by Hetty as they watched first Sam's challenger and then Kensi's car peel out of the parking lot. Nell reached over and barely hiding a smile got the first aid kit and headed downstairs to the rest area to deal with the two injured CIA agents.

* * *

"Callen, the car's pulled down a dirt road; you're about five minutes behind them." Eric said and watched as the dot that represented the challenger sped up.

"Over there!" Deeks yelled his voice cutting through the quiet of ops, "Callen…the van!"

He saw the van parked up by and old fish cannery building. As they pulled up Sam and Kensi screeched to a halt behind them.

"My car…G, you took my car!" Sam groused as he climbed out of Kensi's car, "I don't know what's going on with you two, but  _I am not_ riding with her again!" he moaned.

Callen smirked at his partner's moaning, then went back to the task at hand, "Eric…?" he asked,

"There are four heat signatures inside, three together and one apart." He replied.

"That's her." Callen said looking over at his little brother.

Deeks grabbed his gun and checked it. "We kill 'em?" he asked

Callen turned to him, "No, you don't shoot anyone, if it is the Comescu's the blood feud only applies to Callen's not you, I don't want you involved, you stay back, when we get your mother out she'll need you."

"G?" Deeks said.

"Kensi, stay here, make sure he stays back." Callen said drawing his gun and heading to the warehouse with Sam on his heels.

"CALLEN!" Deeks yelled in a harsh whisper, while trying to pull himself out of Kensi's grip as Callen and Sam headed towards the building.

"What was that about?" Sam asked.

"Nothing, ready?" Callen said holding up his hand and counting down to going in.

Sam nodded, forgetting his questions for now and focusing on the mission.

* * *

They entered the building and the three men, were gathered around a table.

"He should be here soon, we have been told to let him enter and then to box him in and kill her in front of him, he must suffer before he dies."

The elder of the three men and the stockiest walked out of the room; Sam stepped behind him and knocked him out. He took a zip-loc tie from his back pocket and tied him up, smiling at Callen as they locked him in an empty closet.

The other two men looked over towards their hostage on hearing a small noise and grabbed Clara, her hands still bound and they took her out of a door at the back.

Hearing the door slam and Clara scream as they pulled her by her hair, Callen took off running towards the sound, with Sam on his heels.

"You think you are going to be saved?" The taller of the two men snarled his thick Russian accents cutting across his words.

"Let me go, I'll kill you," Clara snarled at him twisting and trying to get away. He eyes grew big as she realized they were herding her towards a beach. "No…NO!...you can't!" she pulled away from him.

"You messed with the wrong family. It is time we finished the job, the Comescu's paid handsomely for you."

"Alexi, I think someone is coming," The smaller of the two Russians said.

* * *

Deeks saw them coming out of the side of the building and pulled his gun, "Kenz, we need to go now," he said heading in the direction of the three figures."

Deeks ducked behind a stack of crates as Dmitri the smaller of the two Russians turned at a sound. He couldn't see anything and shook his head as they walked over with her.

Alexi pulled Clara onto the beach smiling as she couldn't stop her tears from falling, "So was it this sunny when the Comescu's killed your babies?" He laughed as she leant forward and wailed.

"NO!" she cried. Her fingers desperately fiddling with the knots on the rope they had used to tie her hands.

Dmitri pulled his gun and held it to her head. She squinted in the sunlight as she turned her head to face the man with the gun, "You can kill me, but you _will_  look me in the eye." She insisted.

She pulled herself up onto her knees, ignoring the pain in her shoulders and back from where they had beaten her as they had thrown her into the van.

"Your death will not save your boy, we will find him, and he will die."

Clara looked at him, her resolve crumbled, "No please, you have taken enough from me." She pleaded.

Dmitri smiled, "I think not." He leveled his gun as Callen and Deeks made it to the edge of the beach.

* * *

"NO!" Both Deeks and Callen yelled and shot the man dead.

The other man stepped away dropping his guns and raising his heads. Sam walked up to him his gun trained on him as Deeks and Kensi ran to Clara and cut away her bonds.

Callen, for his part couldn't move. He stood a little way up the path and stared at her, he watched as Sam took the other goon and placed him in handcuffs and then Callen watched with a heavy heart as Clara grabbed Marty and pulled him into a hug.

"Martin…I was so worried I had lost you too!" her voice carried on the wind and for the first time in over 30 years Callen heard his mother's voice.

"Mom…" Deeks hugged his mother, "its ok we're safe."

Clara shook her head, "They found me, I will have to disappear again, and it's been so long I had hoped they had forgotten about me."

Callen smiled at the hint of an accent in his mother's voice.

A tear crept down his face, and then he looked at himself, what he had done in the years without her…he couldn't do this, she had Marty, and she didn't need him. He turned back to look, Clara was hugging her son; he smiled at how much she loved him. She had another son now, and he was scared, she hadn't been to find him in years, maybe she had known where he was all along and just hadn't gone to look for him. Maybe Deeks was all she needed; she had after all remarried and had another family.

She looked up and locked eyes with him as he turned a sad smile on his face and he walked off.

"Grisha?" she said and shook her head.

"Mom?" Deeks asked not hearing what she had said.

"Nothing, I…I thought I saw a ghost." She said shaking her head.

Deeks looked around "Where's G?" he asked. Kensi pointed to further along the beach.

"G!" Deeks called after his brother.

Clara looked at her son confused, "Marty what is wrong?" she asked.

"Callen….he…." Deeks started.

"WHO?" Clara grabbed her son, " _Who_  is he! _What_  did you call him?"

"Mom, he's your son…"

Clara grabbed her chest and "Fiul meu, băiețelul meu..." She breathed and fell to the ground.

"NO... MOM? CALLEN!" Deeks screamed watching the woman he loved most in the world faint onto the beach.

Callen turned on Deeks' scream just in time to see her fall.

 


	4. Chapter 4

"MOM!" Callen yelled and ran up the beach towards her.

"Mom?" Sam and Kensi said.

Callen skidded to his knees beside her, "Mom…mama please don't die…I'm sorry…" he found he couldn't stop the tears from falling as he grasped her hand and looked up into Deeks' eyes as he knelt the other side of her.

"Eric we need an ambulance." Sam said into the earwig.

"Already on its way, Hetty is sending the CIA guys for your prisoner, if you want to go to the hospital with them." Eric replied.

"Mama please…wake up…" Callen said.

Deeks reached over and grasped his hand. "It'll be ok."

"She can't die…I need her…I need to know…" he stroked the hair from her face.

"Callen, she still has a pulse, she's not going to die." Deeks said trying to stay calm.

"But she did last time…I saw the blood and the hole….there…" his fingers found a scar on her temple. "They took her away they said she was dead…they…they left me…" Callen was lost in a whole new flood of memories as the ambulance pulled up near the track and two paramedics came down.

"Callen…" Deeks said trying to move him.

"No…NO…ne umiray , ne ostavlyay menya snova ..." he sobbed caught up in his past.

Clara moved and opened her eyes, "Moy syn, Grisha, …nikogda… ostavit vas." She gasped grabbing his hand.

* * *

Deeks stood stunned, "Mom?"

Clara blinked and looked at Deeks, "Martin…What happened?" She asked.

"Ma'am you have to lie down, we need to get you to a hospital and get you checked out." One of the paramedics said,

Deeks stood up as the lifted her onto a gurney, "Will she be ok?" he asked.

"You are?"

"I'm her son, please…" the paramedic nodded.

"Would you come with us, we will need information on her." He asked.

Deeks followed the paramedics up to the ambulance and got inside turning looking for Callen as they went to shut the doors.

But he couldn't see him.

Sam and Kensi peeled their eyes from the scene and went to take Alexi into custody. "Where's G?" Sam asked looking around.

Kensi shrugged as they reached her car and placed Alexi in the back, "Dunno, your car's gone though so I assume he's following Deeks to the hospital,"

She shut the door so that Alexi couldn't hear what she was about to say, "Did you hear Callen…He called her mom?"

Sam shrugged, "Maybe it reminded him of something, I mean he told us his mother was shot in the head. You don't bounce back from that!" he said.

Kensi looked at him, "But he said Mom…Do you think, maybe…?"

Sam shook his head, there wasn't a lot he knew about his partner, hell, there wasn't a lot his partner knew about himself. But he did know his mother had died on that beach in Romania.

"I don't know, lets drop this guy off and we'll head to the hospital and catch up with Callen and Deeks." Sam said walking to the driver's side, "And I'm driving." He added grabbing the keys from Kensi.

* * *

Clara woke up to a smell of antiseptic and the soft beep of a heart monitor. She slowly opened her eyes and pushed herself groaning into a sitting up position.

"Good Evening Clara." Hetty said sat there quietly in the corner.

"Henrietta Lange, I thought you would be dead by now." She said with no hint of emotion.

"I thought you were dead." Hetty replied.

"And that's why you allowed my children to die." Clara looked away she wouldn't let Hetty hurt her again, "How did you find me."

"I work with your sons." Hetty said.

"You work with Martin….NO! He would have said, he works for the LAPD. He knows I wouldn't let him work for a federal agency." Clara said glaring at the small woman who had been her friend.

"He is our LAPD liaison officer." She said,

Clara turned and tried to sit up fully. "NO! You already took my children from me, I was rescued from the beach with a head wound and I trusted you to be there to save my children. You weren't my Amelia and Grisha….They died, Nikolai ended up in a labor camp in Siberia, I ended up in a hospital in America alone with no family and then I find out you never arrived…my children were killed." Clara burst into tears.

Hetty walked across the room, "They did not die in Romania," she told her. "It is true I was ordered not to arrive, another extraction team was sent in, apparently. Your children were brought to America, split up and placed in the welfare system."

"They are alive?" Clara looked hopeful.

"Amy, died in an accident, she drowned at 11 years old. But your son; Mr. Callen, Works for me."

"Grisha! He's alive!" she lit up with hope.

"Grisha…" Hetty tried the name, "it is not a Romany name?"

"Of course not, it is Russian, like his father." Clara said she laid back on the pillows the emotion wearing her out. "Where is he, where are my sons…Do they know that there are brothers?"

"They found out this morning. Has Mr. Callen talked to you yet?" Hetty asked.

"Why do you call him by my maiden name, he is Grisha Alexsandr Callen Resnikov. Why is he using that name?" she was confused.

"He was found in an orphanage in Los Angeles at five years old, he couldn't remember his name, and he had a bear, it had G. Callen on it."

"I had G. A. Callen-Resnikov on it. I wrote it myself."

"The bear was a bit tattered and I assume the label had been torn."

"Mikhail was his favorite bear, I am not surprised he kept it, Hetty please I need to see my boys." Clara begged.

* * *

Hetty walked to the door expecting to find Callen and Deeks outside, Deeks was sitting worried in a chair, but Callen was nowhere to be seen.

"Mr. Deeks, your mother would like to see you; she is going to be ok. She was told that your brother and sister had died in Romania so seeing him was a shock to her system, she did not have a heart attack, and where is Mr. Callen?" Hetty asked looking around.

"I don't know I left him with Sam and Kensi." Deeks said. Turning his head as Sam and Kensi walked in.

Deeks got up and walked to them, "Where's G?" he asked looking behind them for his brother.

Sam looked around, "I thought he was here with you, he left just after the ambulance did."

Hetty looked at Deeks concerned.

"Hetty what the hell is going on?" Sam asked.

"He has had a bit of a shock I assume he's gone somewhere to process this." She said, "Mr. Hanna I suggest you ask Mr. Beale to help you find him."

"Hetty…I can't go in there and tell her we've lost him." Deeks said. "I need to find him…" He started to head towards the exit.

The door opened and Deeks heaved a sigh of relief as Callen walked in. "Where the Hell have you been, Mom's been asking for you."

"Is she going to be alright," Callen asked his face set in a mask.

"Yeah, it was just shock, she thinks you're dead."

"Maybe it should stay that way." Callen said turning again.

"NO!" Deeks yelled as grabbed Callen's arm much to the shock of his co-workers.

"Marty…she has you, you were a lawyer, you are a great cop and you will be an awesome federal agent, I'm a screw up, I was a street kid and I don't think she needs me."

* * *

"So she really is your mom?"Sam asked.

Callen nodded, but didn't say anything; He took a step back trying to get away.

"You said your mother died in Romania, you said she was shot in the head?" Sam said.

Callen shrugged, "Maybe they lied to me, maybe she took Amy and left and they didn't want me…I don't know and I don't think I want to."

"Callen, she's in there, just the other side of those doors, are you telling me you don't want to go in there and find the answers to all those questions you had." Sam said.

"I…I do, but…" He turned leaving his brother and team mates staring at him in shock.

"Don't go…" Clara's voice cut through all the thoughts in his head and he found himself turning back, everyone else in the room disappeared as he focused on the one person he never thought he would see again in his whole life.

"Mama?" his voice cracked on the one word and he was shaking.

"Grisha…moy syn." She held her arms out and it didn't matter that he was a seasoned federal agent, it didn't matter that he was in a hospital corridor, it didn't matter that his team mates and his boss was watching.

None of that mattered.

His mother was alive and she was there and she had just asked him not to go.

He ran the few steps that were separating them and he held her, tears freely flowing from both of them.

"Mama…"

"Moy syn."

Nothing mattered; finally he was holding his mother, the person who knew him, who knew who he was. He sank to his knees with her in his arms. For the first time in his life, at least in the life he remembered, he felt loved.

 


	5. Chapter 5

Deeks watched as his mother and brother were finally reunited.

He had a small smile on his face as he saw the happiness he had always longed to see in his mother's face. Kensi and Sam stood beside him, shock on both their faces while Hetty just smiled.

"So…you and Callen?" Sam said quietly not wanting to interfere with the reunion.

"Yeah, apparently, he's my brother." Deeks confirmed.

"Did you know?" Kensi asked.

Deeks gave her a dark look. "You think I'm kept in the loop…" he looked at his mother, tears of happiness streaming down her cheeks talking to her son in a language that Deeks didn't even know she knew.

Suddenly and overwhelming and irrational jealousy overcame him, he suddenly knew why his father used to get to mad at her. "I get it now." He said softly.

Clara wiped her eyes and turned looking for her other son. "Martin…" she stopped at the look on his face, in that moment he looked just like Gordon.

"M…Martin?" she stammered getting up and stepping away from Callen instinctively putting herself between her sons.

* * *

"Don't…You lied to me, I love you mom, I always have, but I get it now…you had me believing that Dad was wrong, but what if he was right…"

"You think your father was right?" she looked stunned as did the others looking at the change in Deeks.

Even Hetty who knew the full story about Deeks' father was stunned.

"Mr. Deeks?"

"That's  _not_ my name….Is is 'mother'?" He snarled. "What am I…a Callen too? Are the Comescu's after me as well, or does being a Brandel exempt me from your little blood feud?"

"Marty!" Kensi gasped.

"Well you have your precious son back now, so you gonna….?" Deeks was shaking, he didn't know if it was fear or anger his father was running through his head.

"One day son….you'll see, you'll see you're a replacement as well, she'll find better and she'll never let you live down how you are a replacement. I was a replacement for her beloved Nikolai, I was never good enough, and you, you little snot, you'll see…one day your precious mother will look at someone just like she looks at you and she'll turn on you and treat you just the way I do." Gordon Brandel snarled at his eight year old son as he backhanded him around the head.

Deeks flinched as the memory assaulted him.

Clara recognizing the action for what it was walked up to her son who was shaking and wrapped her arms around him.

"He was wrong Martin…He was oh so wrong…You are still my precious baby, nothing will change that. I have room in my heart for both of you."

Clara gently moved him back into her room, sitting him on the bed and holding him making shushing noises as Callen and Hetty watched on.

Callen had looked at Sam and Kensi and shook his head as they led Deeks back into Clara's room. "Go, get something to eat, get some rest, we'll fill you in tomorrow." He said.

"Take care of him," Kensi said looking at Deeks and his mother, Callen's mother, their mother…she shook her head trying to get it all straight.

Callen nodded his assent and watched them as they left then turned back to his mother and brother.

* * *

After about five minutes Deeks started to relax, "Mom…Oh God, mom…I….!" He looked totally distraught.

"It's ok, you seemed to have been holding this in a while, was it…was it him?" she asked.

Deeks nodded not trusting his voice to betray him.

"Him?" Hetty asked.

Clara and Deeks looked over to the smaller woman, "His father." Clara clarified.

"I read your file when you were shot, I know about Brandel." Hetty told Clara.

Clara looked pale, she turned to her youngest son, "You  _told_ her! You  _trust_  her enough to _tell_  her?" she asked incredulously.

Deeks paled and backed up to the wall, "God,  _NO_!" he realized what he had just said as Hetty looked at him strangely, "I…I mean I told her some, but not…not  _that_!"

Callen looked at his little brother and saw a look her recognized. "Don't…" He said to Hetty, "Don't push him on this."

Deeks looked at Callen, he had a new brother and already he was protecting him, "Why…Why do you care? I mean, you've just found out you're my brother and you are trying to protect me from Hetty, GOD! I'm sick of all these secrets," he sank into the chair his head in his hands.

"Look, Marty…it is a lot to process I know, but I am your brother and I want to be, I really do. But I've seen that look before and…" Callen started before he was cut off by Marty.

"But I'm broken and not good enough to be your brother, I get it Callen. I've been waiting for it for years, Dad told me that one day she'd find someone better than me," He tensed up waiting for Callen to hit him.

As Callen put his hand on his shoulder Deeks jumped and tensed. Knowing what that was Callen stepped back shocked. "I'm not going to hurt you Marty, ever…you got that?" He said.

Deeks opened one eye.

"I told you my son, your father lied,"

"Mom, what happened?" Callen asked sitting on one of the comfy chairs in the room, "I mean tell us, how did you get out of Romania and meet up with Brandel?"

Clara looked at her boys and got comfortable.

* * *

"I was on the beach, Amelia was playing football with some friends and you were nearby building sand castles. I had called the CIA for an extraction, your father had been betrayed by the Comescu's and was sent to a labor camp in Siberia, They were looking for us and we had to get out separately. Your father's handler turned up, he had seen some of the Comescu's watching us from the house near the beach. His way of making contact with me was to give you a toy. I think it was a soldier, maybe a lead or tin one…I don't remember." She looked away as she tried to think.

"I remember it…" Callen mused.

"Anyway, he was supposed to shoot me in the chest, but they were watching so he shot me in the head, but the bullets were blank, and from the angle the others were at it looked like a direct head shot, but one caught me on the temple, I passed out, which was good for the extraction, but I lost track of you and your sister." Clara allowed a small tear to fall at the memory.

"They took me, but when I woke up in hospital a woman told me that Henrietta who was supposed to collect you had been called back and you both were dead."

"I saw them shoot you…" Callen said in a small voice staring at his hands.

Clara's hand flew to her face, "No! You were supposed to be distracted, you were supposed to go with Hetty and we would have met up in America."

"I don't know how we got to America, I didn't know much of anything," Callen admitted, "I didn't know my own first name until you told me today…So I'm Grisha Callen?" he asked.

Clara shook her head. "Grisha Alexsandr Callen-Resnikov."

Callen grinned, "That's a mouthful." He smiled, finally he had a name.

For a few moments he sat there running the name around in his head, seeing how it fitted.

* * *

"After a year or two, I found myself in Los Angeles, I worked in a bar and I met Gordon John Brandel, Martin's father." She said, Deeks looked up at this. "He was cute, charming and funny…for a while. He made me relax and for the first time made me laugh." Clara looked sad.

"He was working, he was as far from the CIA and KGB as I could get."

"KGB?" Hetty, Callen and Deeks all asked at the same time.

Clara smiled, "Your father was a Major in the KGB in Russia." She admitted. "Anyway, John…He hated being called Gordon, worked in construction, he was good with his hands."

Deeks flinched at the statement.

"He married me in 1977 when I became pregnant with the twins."

"Twins?" Both Hetty and Callen were surprised at that.

"Martin and Sara his sister." Clara said,

"You have a sister! I have a sister?" Callen asked.

Deeks gave a sad laugh, "We have a lot more in common than you think. Had…we  _had_  a sister."

"I got post partum depression, I missed my other babies, and John knew as will I missed Nikolai as well. He knew that they held a place in my heart and he couldn't handle it." Clara explained moving and holding Deeks' hand.

"He lost his job and started drinking, just one or two at first, and then he'd double it, saying it was good for him, then he lost his driving license in an accident and couldn't work again for a while."

Deeks sighed and held on tighter his eyes burning with unshed tears, he desperately held them in.

"When Martin and Sara were eleven, he came home from work; I had to go to the grocery store. John had been beating on Martin for about 2 years when I was out, so I tried to go out when he wasn't there. He never laid a hand on Sara, Martin always protected her. But today he'd been surprised by John coming home early. He was drunk and angry as some men were at the door asking for money and Martin had answered it. Pushing them off the property he'd gone inside and started on Martin. He been hitting him for an hour when Sara and I got back from shopping. Martin was a bloody mess in the corner, I lost it and started attacking his father, John got a sharp punch in and I hit my head on the cabinet, Sara tried to protect us both and he turned on her. He knocked her to the ground and beat her and kicked her. Martin woke up and shot him in the shoulder to get him off her."

Deeks looked at the ground and let his tears fall silently.

"The police turned up and took John away, Sara…they got her to the hospital, but it was too late, he had broken a rib, it punctured her heart. She died in the ambulance on the way there." She cried quietly too for her lost baby, she held Deeks as the other two looked on dumbfounded.

"But Clara, you were CIA trained; why…Why if he was hurting your children did you stay."

"I am Roma, my father was American and the CIA trained me, but I lost all my documents, John knew this, he threatened to have me sent back to Romania, back to the Comescu's, and keep my children…I had to put up with it, I was trying to save them, I had already lost two children and the love of my life, I couldn't do it again."

Hetty watched as Clara cried, remembering her daughter as both her sons sat either side of her holding her tightly. Poor Clara, losing both her daughters at eleven. She hoped that this would help her ease some of the pain she was feeling, that hopefully now they were talking both Clara and her boys would be able to find some sort of common ground and come out somewhat whole.

 


	6. Chapter 6

Clara lay back and rested as Deeks and Callen walked outside.

"So…" Deeks said looking at Callen.

Callen gave a small smirk, "So…Baby brother." He smiled.

"You ok with that?" Deeks asked preparing himself for the worst.

Callen nodded, "You ok with having me as a big brother…"

Deeks gulped, he really wasn't. Not that he didn't want Callen to be his brother, but all his life he'd been told that the older men in his family beat on the younger ones and that was just the way it was.

He took a step back, "Yeah…" he said guardedly.

Callen smiled. "Great so baby brother…food? I dunno about you but I'm starving."

"Fine Callen, as long as you stop calling me that!" Deeks snapped.

Callen opened the door and walked towards the car. "OK…baby brother…"He grinned as Deeks chased after him.

"So what do we do now?" Deeks asked as they sat in the diner eating two specials and coffee.

Callen took a sip from his coffee. "Now?"

"I mean the men who took Mom; we got some of them, but what about the rest?" Deeks asked. "You gonna go all 'Hero' run off to Romania and shoot them again?"

Callen shrugged "Can't see why not." He replied.

Deeks sighed, "Really! You just found her and you're going to do that?"

Callen looked at his little brother and saw the worry in his eyes, worry for his…no their mother and something else, whatever it was Deeks obviously didn't feel like sharing and he wasn't going to push it.

"Marty," Callen said honestly. "I have been dealing with the Comescu's my whole life. They are done for now, we killed one, the other is in custody, Nell is putting word out that mom is dead so that should keep them off her trail for a few years. I'd really just like to see her settled back at home, going back to her normal life and maybe, getting to know her as well as you do."

Deeks looked at him, he looked truthful.

"Deeks…Do you trust me?" Callen asked flatly.

"What?" Deeks replied caught off guard in his musings.

"I said, do you trust me?" Callen asked again.

"I…of course I trust you I work with you every day, I trusted you then why would now be any different, of course I trust you to have my back."

"No…Marty do you trust me as your big brother…a member of your family, because if you don't I can back off, you can go back to your relationship with Clara and we can forget…"

"NO!" Deeks raised voice caused all the other patrons in the diner to look at him. "No," He said again more softly, "It's just I have stuff, in my head from when I was younger things my father said, I know mom said that they are wrong, but it just picks at me and I wonder…" His voice trailed off.

"What do you wonder little brother?" Callen asked, really wanting to know, he wanted to know how his brother felt about things, what he thought, what his interests were, he wanted to know him, not as Deeks the LAPD liaison who goofed around in the office making them laugh or staring doe eyed at Kensi when he thought no one was looking, but as Marty, his little brother, the man who had grown up with his mother and shared the same DNA as him.

Deeks shook his head, "its ok, it's silly, just because you know that you're my brother now, doesn't mean that you'll…" he shook his head again, "You want me to pay the bill?" he asked.

"I want you to answer the question." Callen prodded.

Deeks sighed, "When I was a kid, Brandel…he said. Well he said I should be glad that you weren't alive, because all older brothers beat on their younger siblings. It was expected." He said.

"But your sister, you never beat on her?" Callen asked.

"No, she was two minutes older than me." Deeks confirmed.

"So you really are the little brother?" Callen smirked, "Listen Mom's house is a state, it needs cleaning up before she goes home." He said

"She won't go back there ever," Deeks said with certainty.

"She won't?"

He shook his head, "She killed a man there, it was her sanctuary, I'll need to find another place for her, she won't stay with me…I live to close to the beach."

"What about my house, if she says yes I have the room, you and Monty could stay too for a while, it might help her having her family under the same roof." Callen offered.

Deeks looked at him to make sure he was on the level, "we could ask her, I wouldn't make any decisions without checking with her, I could stay for a while, but…Callen…please…don't tell her about my surfing, mom'll rip me a new one."

Callen smiled at the sentiment, "I supposed we had better ask her, I have no furniture so anything she wants will fit, will you help move it?" he asked.

Deeks stood up and left some money with the check, "Come on then." He strode to the door. "Well?"

* * *

Callen got up and followed him, heading back to the hospital they checked on Clara who was resting comfortably as they arrived.

"Hey mom." Deeks said as he walked up and kissed her on the head.

She smiled, "Martin, I thought you boys had gone home for the day?"

"We did but we realized you get out tomorrow, and I assume you weren't planning on going back to the house?" Callen said.

"Where else would I go, it's only a mile from Martin's house, I need to be near him just in case." She said.

"Well, I know that but, I have a house, it's practically empty and has spare rooms, we thought….if you wanted…that you and Marty could stay with me until you found somewhere new."

She looked at her eldest son, "But I have so much stuff, there would not be enough room?"

Deeks laughed, "His house is empty."

Callen shot him a look and Deeks laughed even more. "Well it is!" he exclaimed.

"Mama?" Callen asked.

Clara looked at the hope in her eldest son's eye, "Of course I will, maybe you and your brother could pack my things and move some stuff over to your house and when they let me out of here I will cook you all a family dinner."

Callen grinned, he couldn't help it, his mother and brother were coming to live with him and they were going to be a family.

They stayed for an hour Clara quizzing her youngest son on how he'd managed to work for a federal agency without letting her know while Callen stepped outside to make a call.

* * *

Two hours later they pulled up outside Clara's home, to find Eric, Nell, Sam and Kensi all waiting for them.

"Ok so why are we here?" Sam asked.

"Mama's moving into my place, and so is Deeks for a few months."Callen told them.

They all smiled, "That's great!" Kensi said.

"Yep, so we gotta move mom's stuff to Callen's so she has furniture there, and may TV?" Deeks added hopefully.

"I have a TV." Callen retorted

"You do!" everyone but Sam replied.

Sam shook his head, "A ten inch black and white portable is not a TV." He stated as the others laughed.

"It gets the weather channel and the baseball."

"You need cable," Eric announced and got his tablet out and sat on the wall outside Clara's house.

Deeks took a key out and opened the door, he walked inside and looked around, "OK Kensi, we'll take mom's room, get her bed and clothes and stuff. Callen you and Sam take whatever you think you'll need for the house, include her food and cookware, mom loves to cook. Nell, can you get anything else you think she'll need please."

They all nodded and headed off, "G, you wanna take this end of the couch?" Sam asked trying to lift it.

Callen grabbed the other end and between them, they took is out the door, past a muttering Eric and onto the truck.

Callen stopped as he walked past Eric again, "What's wrong?"

"I'm having trouble with your mom's internet; it's just slow, like someone or something is using up power." He said punching the screen with his finger a few extra times.

They went back inside, where Nell was unhooking the TV. "This'll be ready to move in a minute," she said she tried to pull out the TV stand and Callen leant over and helped her.

"Thanks." Nell said

"What's that?" Callen asked pointing to a small door in the wall behind the TV.

"I don't know…DEEKS!" she called, he came out to the living room

"What?"

"Do you have a key for this?" she asked.

"No… What is it?" Deeks asked.

Kensi came in, "Here let me." She said, she picked the lock and opened it, inside was a locked box, and a laptop."

"They look important, we had better bring them." Callen said.

Within an hour they had all the basics and a few extra's packed up.

* * *

Heading back to Callen's house the team helped unpack, remake Clara's bed and get her room ready for her arrival tomorrow.

Deeks had turned up with some things for his room, plus Monty's bed and bowls and a bag of clothing.

"Put me up Bruv!" he smiled; he walked into his room and stopped. "It's PINK!" he exclaimed looking at the room.

Callen laughed, "It was Alina's she loved pink. I never changed it."

Deeks looked at it horrified, "But it's your room so I suggest if you wanna change it you'd better go paint shopping."

"What color is your room?"

"Cream, it was the foster kid room, so needed to be generic." He explained showing Deeks his room.

This is the smallest room in the house, why did you pick this one as yours?"

Callen took his brother to the closet and opened the door, "See that?" he asked as Deeks nodded. "This has always been my room."

Deeks looked at the carved name and year on the door and realized that there was a huge part of his brother's life he needed to learn about and that there was a lot about him he'd need to share.

Deeks sighed and grinned at Callen, "So…Pink it is." He said and walked into his room to unpack.

 


	7. Chapter 7

Clara looked at her bag; she had packed the last of her things away and was waiting for her boys to take her home.

She smiled every time she thought of Grisha and Martin, together under one roof.

"Mama?" Callen knocked on the door and stuck his head through, "Are you ready to go?"

"I am waiting on my papers, then we can leave, where is…?"

"Right here Mom." Deeks said bringing a wheelchair and a set of papers into the room.

Clara signed her papers and Callen helped her into the chair. "Really Grisha, I can walk." Clara said.

"Hospital policy mom." Deeks told her.

She nodded and sat back as Callen wheeled her to her car, "Mrs. Deeks. So you're leaving us." Callie the nurse said as she took the signed discharged papers. "Are these your sons?" she asked.

Clara smiled, "Yes, my eldest son Grisha and my youngest Martin."

Callie smiled, "Your mother has talked about you both a lot. She is proud of you both."

Both boys smiled, "We are proud of her too." Marty said.

"Well you take good care of her." Callie smiled as they left pushing her out of the hospital. As the doors to the elevator closed, Callie picked up the phone.

"It's me, she's gone. Discharged, Callen and Deeks picked her up, she is going to stay with her son, but I don't know which one." She closed the phone dropped the discharge papers onto the desk, and walked out of the hospital.

* * *

Callen pulled up outside the house.

"This is a lovely home you have Grisha," Clara said looking at it appreciatively she wondered if her son had someone special in his life that made him pick this family home.

"Thank you." Callen opened the front door.

Clara noticed the house was almost entirely furnished with furnishings from her home, all except for a chair, a small plant and a box on the mantelpiece. "You really didn't have any furniture did you?" she asked.

"Didn't need any, just for me." Callen replied as they walked inside. "If there's anything you need that we haven't brought just let us know, either I or Marty will go and get it."

Clara sat on her sofa and closed her eyes.

"Why buy a family home if you were not going to have things in it to start a family?" Clara asked as she rested.

"This was my family home." Callen said absently. "I mean...kinda…for a while, the Rostoffs, they were a nice family and took me in."

"Were you with them for long?" Clara asked he heart hurting hearing about another family raising her son.

"Three months." Callen said proudly, "My longest placement." He smiled.

"That year?" she asked.

"Ever." Callen said turning to grab the box off the mantel piece and took it to his room. "Mama…?" He turned and called back to her, "Would you like to see your room?" He asked nervously.

Clara nodded, "I would." She replied, picking up her bag she followed him down the hall, "That's Marty's room, he likes pink." Callen joked, Clara recognizing the nervousness smiled too.

* * *

He pointed to the smallest room at the back, "That's my room, and this is yours." He opened the door to the master bedroom; she looked at the delicate sage green colored walls and the en-suite bathroom. "But Grisha, this is the main bedroom, this should be yours?" she protested.

Callen shook his head, "That's always been my room; I just didn't want to change it." He admitted. It had reminded him of the closest thing to stability he had ever experienced in his young life and he liked sleeping in there.

Callen closed his door to his room and lay on his bed roll on the floor. His room was now the only one with hardly any furniture, just a small table and a chair, for Callen to use his laptop, but nothing else.

He listened to the sounds of his mother and brother settling in, and sat up, opening his bag he took out the laptop that Nell had found at his mother's home. He held the box, his first instinct was to pick the lock, however if he did that, what if he lost his mother trust and she left him. He didn't think he could lose her a second time.

He lay back and dozed off while trying to make sense of all that had happened.

He felt like hours had gone by as he looked at the box, looking at his watch he was surprised that in reality he'd only lost two hours. He could smell something delicious coming from his kitchen and rubbing his eyes he walked out of the bedroom.

For a second he stopped his mind flashing back to his childhood, him waking up sleepy stepping over Alina's toys and looking up to see his foster mother cooking breakfast. Half asleep he sat at the kitchen table.

"Dobroye Utro." He said. His hands closed around the mug that Deeks gave him.

"Actually moy syn, It is still the afternoon, you haven't slept for that long, I am making dinner, I checked with Martin, and today I am making your favorite meals from when you were a boy."

Callen looked up surprised, "My favorite meals?" he asked.

Clara nodded.

Callen looked at Deeks for a hint, Deeks smiled at his brother and shrugged, "I dunno what it is, but as usual it smells great. I have to take Monty for a walk, I'll be back in time for dinner mom."

Callen followed Deeks to the door, "You don't have to go." He said although he was looking forward to having some time with her, he did feel uncomfortable without Deeks there as a buffer between them.

"Are you kidding, did you see the surf report this morning, Eric and I are heading out to Venice, the swells are huge, we're not working so I'm gonna get some surf time in." He said quietly so Clara wouldn't over hear.

"Thanks." Callen deadpanned and smiled as he closed the door hearing his brothers happy whistling as he walked with Monty to the car to head to Eric's to pick up is surfboard.

* * *

Callen walked back into the kitchen, sitting at the table and picking up his coffee he listened to his mother humming as she cooked, a flash of memory hit him.

He was small and he was in the kitchen as his mother stood at the sink in their small apartment, she was looking out of the window and he was drinking from a small plastic cup.

"Mama, gde papa i Emi ?" He asked.

Clara dried her hands and picked him up and hugged him and sat him back on the table, "Oni vne, papa vstrechayetsya s dyadey Arkadiya."

Callen spat out his coffee. "Arkady?!"

Clara looked at her son. "Sorry?"

"You know Arkady Kolcheck." This wasn't a question and Clara knew it, "Of course, he is your father's brother." She said matter of factly.

"So he…he knew my name?" Callen asked.

"Of course he knows your name; it is after all his middle name." Clara looked confused, "Arkady was to watch over you for me when we got to America, I thought something had happened to him…I have never heard from him since I got here. I think he died."

"Died, my a…." Callen bit back the word he was going to use. "Mama, sit down." He said he looked over at her, "Arkady is alive and he has been living here all the time."

Clara looked shocked, "Really? But I would have thought he would have found me." She said.

Callen stood up "Wait there."

* * *

Walking into his room he came out with the locked box of his mother's and her laptop and his own box.

Putting her things in front of her he sat and waited. "We found these in your house." He said.

Clara looked at them, a dark look crossing her face.

She took a key from around her neck and opened the lock box.

She took a small Sig Sauer P232 from the box and placed it on the table, "This is mine, I do have a current permit," she added then a manila envelope was placed on the table. "You, me, your father, Arkady and your sister." She said.

Carefully she opened the envelope and started showing him pictures.

He sat as she got up and went back to her meal, He carefully looked through each picture, memories that were buried were slowly coming to the surface, pictures of himself as a baby, Amy as a small child, his father…Arkady, holding him as a child. A small black and white puppy, "Mishka." Callen said without thinking.

Clara walked over and looked at the picture, "Yes that was Mishka he was your puppy." Callen closed his eyes and the memory of him holding his dog tightly while sobbing for his father assailed him."

"He was with me after papa left." Callen remembered.

Clara nodded, "I am so sorry you were left alone, had I known I would have made sure you and Amelia came with me." She said sitting back down next to him.

"And the laptop." Callen said not wanting to dwell on that right now.

"It is mine, I have my information on it, old CIA contacts with up to date information. Also I was using it to search for your father." She admitted.

She opened the laptop and frowned as it started up, hitting the power button and crashing the laptop she slammed the lid closed.

"Someone has hacked into my laptop…I need to have someone look at this," Clara looked concerned.

Callen smiled, "I know just the team."

* * *

Translations.

1 Good Morning

2\. Mama where is papa and Amy?

3 They are out, Papa is meeting with uncle Arkady.

 


	8. Chapter 8

Callen looked up as his door knocked.

Opening it, he smiled at the small red head standing the other side. "Why'd you knock, you have a key."

Nell looked behind him shyly, "I, er…I didn't think your mother would appreciate me walking in and I didn't want you to have to explain why I have a key." She said, "Hetty said you have a problem with your mother's laptop?" she said putting her bag on the kitchen table.

Clara was in her room, getting changed and Callen seized his chance wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her neck, "G! Your mother is in the next room, we can't." she hissed with a small smile.

"Yes we can," he smiled inhaling her scent, he hadn't see her alone since this whole thing had started and he missed her, "I could sneak over to your place later." He offered.

"Yeah and then explain to your mother and brother where you were…and then have Deeks tell Kensi, who tells Sam…." Nell waited as he caught up.

"I hate this!" he hissed not wanting to disturb his mother, "We aren't breaking any rules."

"No, but it would make Hetty worry about us working together, I mean if you were hurt and I had to watch it…I mean I don't want to be reassigned to the tech pool or something." She sighed and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Maybe some day we can tell the others, but right now I have a job to do." She pulled his head down, kissed him briefly, and turned to her small toolbox.

Keeping his hand in the small of her back he watched as he got the things out she needed.

* * *

He passed her the laptop just as Clara walked back into the kitchen.

"Mama, this is Nell Jones, our technical analyst, she's come to help with the computer." He told her.

"Thank you." Clara said as she made herself, a coffee. "Would you like a drink I notice my son forgot to ask you?" she asked.

Nell nodded, "Coffee please, Mrs. Deeks."

"Clara please." She smiled watching her son hover on the edge of Nell's personal space, as if he wanted to be closer but was deliberately keeping himself further from her than he felt comfortable.

Nell nodded and started working on her computer, "You are right, someone has placed a keystroke logger onto your computer."

Clara's face darkened and she turned the laptop over, "I will take out the hard drive, Grisha you must dispose of the laptop." She said.

"No, Clara wait!" Nell said, "We can use it to find out who is tracking you then remove the software and you can keep your laptop." She told her.

Clara smiled; Nell was as smart as she had thought she was, "I know dear." She said making both Nell and Callen do a double take. "I just wanted to see if you did, I am not too sure on how you track it back, but I do think I know who is tracking me." She walked into the living room and sat on the sofa. Reaching into a hidden pocket in the lining, she took out a small thumb drive.

"This has files of each time I've been hacked and what they were looking at, I think…I have thought for years that there is a Comescu working with the CIA; or someone working for them is I would think by now in quite a high level job."

Callen looked at his mother, "Really? I mean I know the Comescu's were looking for me, but they thought you were dead didn't they?"

Clara looked at her son sadly, "Moy syn, I thought they thought the same thing about you."

Callen looked worriedly at Nell, "I thought I had killed one of the last of the Comescu's, maybe I was wrong."

"Grisha, not all of the Comescu's are Comescu's, they will never be all gone. Some have married and left the family business, others may have changed their names," She handed him the hard drive. "This has on it all the Comescu's in America, as many as I have been able to track down so far, not all of them are in illegal employment, there is a judge, a few politicians," she gulped, "Even social workers and foster carers."

* * *

Callen grabbed the hard drive from Clara's hands, "Nell, I need to see the list now!" he snapped.

She nodded and took her own laptop out of her bag and a docking port and opened the files on Clara's hard drive.

A list scrolled along her screen as Callen started to count.

"1, 2, 3, 4…." He stood up abruptly and walked outside.

"Grisha?" Clara said walking behind him.

Callen turned away desperately trying to keep his emotions in check, Nell walked up past Clara and stood near him. "I saw it G." she said quietly.

"Saw what?" Clara asked.

Callen shook his head and walked to the back end of the garden his hand holding onto the rope of the swing that had hung from the tree since he was a child.

"Four of his case workers in child services were on your list as were, 24…" Nell stopped as Callen interrupted.

"26." He said.

"26," she continued, "Of Callen's foster homes."

"They were the worst, they always said it was my fault that they…they always blamed me, I didn't know they were right." He sank down by the tree holding his knees and looked up at Nell. "Were they on there?" he asked hoping she did not say yes.

"No." Nell said with a small smile as Callen relaxed. "The Rostoffs weren't on the list."

Callen smiled as a traitorous tear slipped out.

Clara sat next to her son holding gently onto his hand. "How bad my son? Please I need to know?" she asked.

Callen looked at Nell who nodded and walked into the house knowing this conversation was not for her.

* * *

Callen took a deep breath and sighed, "It was bad momma, not always," he added quickly seeing the look of pain that crossed her face.

"I was alone, that was always drummed into me, at first I waited for someone to come and get me, I knew something bad had happened as I couldn't remember my name or you or papa. I remember sleeping in the bed in the dormitory. Everyone else was sleeping and I held on to my blanket as tight as I could; I was scared as it was dark and I wanted a teddy, but I was told I didn't have one…only kids who had teddies had mom's and dad's that…that cared and came to see them.

I was so scared I wanted you so bad, but I couldn't remember your face. I held on for hours trying not to sleep as it was so dark and the people spoke funny and kept pointing at me. In the end, this woman shook my shoulder and said something about Alexa and I thought that was your name. I called for you…and ….and they hit me and told me you were dead.

That was the first night I could remember, I wasn't left anywhere longer than 3 weeks, A few homes, the one where care workers, not on that list place me, they were ok. But when my regular worker was back I would be pulled out and put in another home." Callen stopped as he saw Clara sitting next to him quietly crying at the pain her son had been put through.

"I don't blame you." He added hastily "It's…it's just a bit of a shock to find out that the Comescu's have been following me my entire life, and if one of them knew you were in fact alive, then they kept us apart all those years…it's not fair mama." He allowed himself to be swallowed up by her arms and for the first time sobbed for the loss of his childhood, for the loss of what he could have had with her.

She held him and gently made shushing noises, stroking her hand up and down his back, as he calmed down she finally spoke. "No Grisha, it is not fair, it was not fair to either of us, however, I am glad in a way, had it not happened I would never have had your brother and sister. But, had I known for just one second that you were alive, I swear to you I would have knocked on every door in America until I found you."

Callen looked up and wiped his eyes. "You would?" he asked in disbelief.

"Of course you are my son."

* * *

"Got room for one more," Deeks grinned as he walked out into the garden to see his mother and brother in a hug.

Clara stood up and walked over to him, "Of course Martin." She hugged him too.

"Is everything ok?" Deeks asked, "Nell said you were upset over something that had been found on the laptop."

Callen knew he couldn't hide anything from Deeks their relationship as brothers was too new, "The Comescu's have been following me all my life, some of my foster parents were paid by them to…deal with me."

"God!" Deeks took a step back in horror, "And you never knew?"

Callen shook his head, "Nope."

"There was a judge on that list, and some politicians. I think we need to show the list to Hetty."

"No." Clara snapped.

"Mom?"

"Mama?" Callen and Deeks said at the same time.

She smiled for a second at both her boys.

"Mama, I trust her, I know she's held so much back in the past, but she has been there for me for a long time, and," He stopped and faced her, "She nearly gave up her own life facing down the Comescu's to save me." He told her.

She looked stunned, "She went to Romania?"

"Right into Alexa's compound, and faced her down, trying to convince them I was dead, she was shot trying to protect me."

Clara sat on the small swing, "I didn't know…I owe her an apology." She said "I owe you one too Grisha, you have been through so much."

Callen nodded and held out his hand, "Yes mama, I have; now how about the three of us show them what Callen blood is made of. We'll go and see Hetty and I think it's about time the CIA left us alone and that the Comescu's learn that they will NEVER finish off the Callen's." He said intently.

Deeks looked at him, "Me too?" he asked.

Callen linked arms with his mother and his little brother, "Yeah you too little brother." He said and they walked arm in arm toward the house.

 


	9. Chapter 9

Callen, Deeks and Clara entered the kitchen as Kensi walked out of Callen's bathroom, her hair still wet from a shower.

"Kensi?" Callen said with a smile.

"Oops…I …sorry I thought you'd all be out there longer. I just needed to get all the water out of my hair after…."

"Nope that's fine Kensi." Callen cut her off, although he was planning on getting his mother over her beach phobia later, right now he didn't want to upset her by having her learn that Deeks surfed. "Mama doesn't know about the surfing," he said quietly. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell her till Marty and I can." He asked.

She smiled, "Don't worry Callen your secret is safe with me,"

Callen smirked, "And yours with me."

"Mine…I don't have a secret?!" Kensi looked confused.

Deeks walked over and stood behind his brother, "What's going on?" he asked.

Callen looked over at him a smile just threatening to break out, "That's what I was going to ask you two." He said sternly.

"I…What?" Deeks stumbled looking at Kensi for a clue.

Nell walked up behind Callen and head-slapped him lightly, "G, that's enough, your mother has invited Kensi and I to stay for dinner so I suggest you stop picking on your brothers girlfriend and start paying attention to your own." She winked at Kensi who along with Deeks stood there with their mouths open.

"You….you and….you?!" Kensi said shocked.

"How long?" Deeks asked.

Callen sighed "Not long." He said walking into the kitchen.

"Two years," Nell admitted.

"Two…G!" Deeks ran after Callen as Kensi and Nell went to the sofa.

* * *

"G!" Deeks stopped him in the kitchen as Clara went through the cupboards looking for the perfect thing for a meal.

"You and Nell?" Deeks said grabbing a beer and tossing one to Callen.

Callen smirked, "You and Kenz."

He blushed, "Er…yeah….It won't affect work, Honest…"

"Hey, if Nell and I can keep ours a secret for two years I'm sure yours won't affect your working relationship. Just…make sure it doesn't….do you love her?" Callen asked as a moment of concern for his brother and junior agent swept over him.

"Yeah…" Deeks sighed, "She's just….my everything ya know?"

Callen looked at Nell as she laughed at something Kensi said.

"Yeah I know?"

Clara who had been standing behind her sons smiled as they both looked doe eyed at their girlfriends, "So marry them and make babies."

"EWWWWW MOM!" both boys said at once.

Clara laughed, "Set the table, we need to eat and have a family meeting, that includes your girls." She ordered.

"Yes Ma'am" they both moved like it was an operation and within minutes they had the table dressed and set ready for the meal.

* * *

Deeks walked into the living room with drinks for the girls and Callen walked over to his mom, "Are you sure involving them in this is wise mama, I mean I've been living it my whole life, Deeks has been free of it…"

Clara put the spoon she was holding down, "Grisha Alexsandr Callen-Reznikov…If I ever hear you trying to exclude your brother again, we will NOT have any more secrets in this family we are all Callen's and we will be there for each other no matter what, secrets and lies have done too much damage to this family and enough is enough it will stop."

Callen hung his head and looked every inch the chastised schoolboy. "Yes mama."

The other walked in, "Everything ok?" Nell asked wrapping her arms around Callen.

He nodded, "Yeah I made a mistake, I am sorry mama." He said grinning.

"And to your brother." She said her face not as stern, but still he grinned.

"Yes, Mama…Sorry Deeks…er Marty." He said his face getting happier by the moment.

"Why are you smiling?" Kensi asked looking at Callen's face.

"She told me off…I got told off by my mother." He smiled.

"I don't understand?" everyone, Clara included looked at him confused.

"Guys! I got told off by my  _ **mother**_ …for the very first time, not a foster mother, not a house mother but  _ **my mother**_!" he grinned.

Nell hugged him, then Clara did and the others joined in, soon the small band broke up as Clara went to the stove, "Now my children, we will eat and we will plan."

* * *

Hetty sat at her desk looking at the information that she had found, she had been contacted by a friend in the CIA as Clara's name had come across his desk and she knew that this time there would be no stopping them.

She had protected Callen for as long as she could and there was no way she was going to let it happen again. Agent Bailey had intercepted chatter that Callista Comescu had been watching the hospital and the last remaining five members of the family were planning on avenging their grandmother Alexa.

She sipped her tea and looked over the file Agent Bailey had dropped over. "Oh Bugger," she snapped and closed the file, there was nothing for it, even though she knew this might drive a wedge between them she was determined not to fall down in her duty to this family again.

Grabbing her purse she headed out the door.

Relaxing after dinner, all the plans, such as they were had been made and there was nothing they could do that evening, Clara, Kensi and Deeks were all on the sofa, Kensi leaning in Deeks' arms and Callen on his chair with Nell in his lap all watching America's Next Top Model, both boy's trying desperately to not get bored out of their mind as the door knocked.

"Thank God!" Callen said, Deeks nodded his assent as Clara went to answer the door.

"Stay I will get it." She said.

Clara opened the door "Hetty!" she exclaimed in surprise as she motioned for the woman to enter.

* * *

Kensi shifted away from Deeks and Nell fell off the chair. "Ow!" she glared at Callen as he stood up and shot a sorry look in her direction.

"Oh Mr. Callen, Miss Jones, did you really think I didn't know about your relationship?" Hetty smiled, "I am glad you both found each other and you have done an excellent job in keeping it out of the workplace, I am sure Mr. Deeks and Ms Blye will be following your example." She said.

"Er…Thanks Hetty." Callen said

"Not meaning to be rude but why are you here?" Deeks asked.

"I need to talk to your mother…in private."

"There is nothing I keep from my boys." Clara said, "But come in Henrietta and we will talk together."

Hetty nodded and came in, sitting down at the table Hetty came straight to the point, "I have had word from Langley, They have identified the last five remaining Comescu's,"

Clara looked at the list and the set of three pictures, "We do not have all five images," Hetty told them.

Nell got the laptop, "I'll see if I can find the rest." She said and started typing.

"There is something else, It seems that the Comescu's know all about all of you including Mr. Deeks. They have decided that now would be the right time to take the last of the Callen's out."

Both Nell and Kensi looked at each other worriedly.

"Draga, Vasilie, Mikhail, Nedela, and Callista Comescu have decided that the blood feud is in high gear, Callista is the one who had information on you, but we do not know how she managed to find out about Mr. Deeks as well?"

"I have a picture." Nell said turning the laptop.

"It's her!" Callen and Deeks exclaimed.

"Callie?" Clara said, "No…She couldn't be a Comescu?"

"There's more." Hetty said sadly, "I have a list of names as well…" she sighed. "Mr. Callen I am sorry…."

Callen cut her off, "We know about the foster parents and the judges."

Hetty looked shocked, "Mama had a list of names on her laptop, but had no idea why the Comescu's were paying money to these people. They paid the social workers to place me with foster parents that the Comescu's paid to 'deal' with me." Callen said in a matter of fact tone.

Nell looked over at him sadly, reached for and held his hand.

"They are second to the Comescu's; unless there is a way of arresting them we are going to take them all down."

Hetty smiled at them, "I think I may have an idea," she said looking around the table with a slight smile, "And this will be sanctioned by the Department of Homeland Security."

Callen smiled, "I knew there was a reason I loved you Hetty."

She smiled, "And it wasn't my winning personality?" she asked.

They laughed as Hetty looked at them all, "I've have a message for you from Director Morrow, Go Get them Callen." She said.

Callen nodded, "We will Hetty, it's not one Callen they are facing now, it's three." He said.

"Five." Kensi said, "Nell and I are in this too, we may not be Callen's by blood, but we are by heart and we'll be right there with you."

 


	10. Chapter 10

Director Vance, on the advice of Tom Morrow from the Department of Homeland Security had put the main team of the office of special projects on stand down for a month. All he had been told was that Hetty, Nell, Kensi, Callen and Deeks were being seconded for a special project. Vance wasn't on the need to know list just that whatever it was about was linked to Operation Comescu.

At that Vance stopped asking after their last run in with Operation Comescu he really didn't want to know, his only concern was that the team would be safe. Morrow just turned to him and smiled, "Leon, this is Hetty and Clara's project, I would be more worried about the fate of the Comescu's" he said and walked out of Vance's office.

Nedela Comescu sat in the coffee house sipping her early morning coffee watching the street vendors setting up along Venice Beach, She was due to see her brother later on that day she had her camera with her and she had been following the youngest Callen around she had shots of him on the beach, with the tall dark haired woman that they had yet to identify who she was but the shaggy haired blond Callen seemed totally in love with her. She looked up as Draga walked in, grabbed a coffee and sat next to her. "'Dela, do you have any information on the tall brown haired woman that the youngest Callen is in love with?" Draga asked.

Nedela shook her head, "I do know she works with him, but all I've heard is he calls her Fern. I have tried asking but no one seems to know of a Fern that is a Federal Agent." She said looking defeated.

Draga looked at his cousin, "Your brother won't be happy with that information," he said, and he was right, Vasilie would demand much more.

"They will be walking past soon, They have been surfing for the last few hours since the sun rose, and they often stop in here for breakfast, Fern is partial to doughnuts." She said as she sat back in the booth.

Deeks put the surfboard back on the car, "We'll have to drop this off at Eric's before we go home." He said to Kensi as she hoisted her own board onto the roof of the car.

"Haven't you told your mother yet?" Kensi asked.

Deeks grinned, "I never told my mother when she was just my mother, what on earth makes you think I'd tell her now she's a CIA Assassin?"

"Good point, so we drop these off at Eric's then." Kensi smiled.

"Coffee shop?" Deeks asked.

"You think she'll be there?" Kensi asked.

Deeks shrugged, "She's been there every day for the last month, Callen's in position and Mom's….around somewhere, and we just have to get her to follow us. Its mom and Hetty's plan and I am not going to be the one to mess it up." Deeks said looking at her and pinning her to the car with an arm on each shoulder. He looked into her eyes and kissed her, "It's going to be alright Fern." He grinned.

Kensi shook her head in disbelief, "You have the same smirk as Callen, how could I have never noticed that?" she said stunned.

Deeks turned around and grabbed a dry pair of jeans and put them on, "You Fern, were blinded by my beauty." He remarked as she laughed pulling her own jeans on.

"Yeah right."

The banter continued as they walked towards the coffee shop, "She's here." He said in her ear as he opened the door for her.

"Doughnuts Fern?" Deeks asked as he walked over to the counter.

Kensi nodded "And a hot chocolate please." She asked as she took a table directly opposite Nedela she glanced at her but paid her no more attention getting her phone out looking like she was playing a game.

Deeks put the food and drinks on the table and looked at her phone. "Really, I get you food and your playing Candy Crush Saga!" he exclaimed.

"It's addictive," Kensi grinned at him before putting her phone down taking her doughnut and dunking it in the cup of Hot Chocolate while Deeks rolled his eyes.

* * *

Callen looked up from his cell phone and looked over at his mother, "Nedela and Draga are in the coffee shop, Kensi just sent me a text." He said.

Clara took her gun out of her purse and checked the chamber, "It's good, we just have to get them both, and then moy syn, we need to talk about you not mentioning that your little brother surfs."

Callen smiled, "That is something we will talk about when this is all over Mama, and I have something in mind for that."

Callen checked his Sig, "I'm ready." He said. He looked at his mother, "Are you sure you wanna do this, I don't want you to get hurt." He said pushing his gut feeling down.

Clara looked over at him, she reached out her hand and gave his a squeeze, "Grisha, I never left you on purpose and I won't this time, but we will make sure this is over once and for all, The Comescu's haven't only hurt us as a family, but they are still dealing in Human Trafficking and Arms smuggling, which is why Director Morrow has allowed us to do this, we are the only ones who will get close enough to be able to do that."

Callen reached over and hugged his mother, the first time he had initiated a hug, "Be careful mom." He said he turned and climbed out of the car.

Clara watched him go blinking back the tears in her eyes, she took a deep breath, "I love you too." She said to herself and turned to go in the opposite direction.

* * *

In a motel room down the street Hetty and Nell sat looking at the laptop, "Can he hear her Miss Jones?" Hetty asked.

Nell shook her head, "I'm patching Comms in now." She said and hit the commands on her laptop.

"Ok guys, we've got ears on you and eyes too as much as possible, remember I don't have the same resources as Eric, but we will see how it goes can you all hear me?" She asked.

Kensi turned to Deeks and wrapped her arms around him, "I can hear you if Deeks can he will cough." She said into his hair, relaxing as Deeks duly coughed.

"I can hear you too honey." Callen said and Nell grinned as Hetty turned to the Nell and smiled.

"I am so pleased you can Mr. Callen…Dear…" Hetty said.

Everyone broke out laughing as Callen spluttered Kensi buried her head in Deeks' neck as Deeks laughed, Clara let out a small laugh and Nell just put her face in her hands and shook her head.

"Hetty?!" Callen said shocked.

"Yes Mr. Callen I am helping out Miss Jones."

Callen laughed too and walked towards his spot behind a dark blue transit van which was parked in front of an alley.

* * *

Nedela finished her drink and looked at her cousin, "It doesn't look like they made us, and we need to get going, I have to get these latest surveillance photos to my brother." She said quietly.

She stood up and Draga followed her out of the building, as soon as they were out of sight, "OK G, they are heading your way." Deeks said then Kensi and Deeks followed behind them.

On reaching the Alley Callen stepped out in front of them with his gun drawn, "Draga, Nedela." He said.

Draga started to reach for his gun, "Callen." He spat.

Callen motioned for them to move further into the alleyway.

"You won't get away with this, Vasilie will kill you." Nedela said.

"I want the photos." Callen said motioning to the camera.

"No." Nedela said. She went to move and a movement further down the alley caught her attention.

"Clara Callen, I had heard you had come back from the dead." She snapped.

"Nedela Comescu, you heard right now, hand over the pictures of my son." She said standing threateningly.

Nedela sighed and reached into the bag for the Camera.

Callen shifted seeing the emotions crossing the woman's face and moved his gun, "Freeze." He ordered.

Nedela smiled and a loud pop was heard. Callen grunted and then fired at her. Draga turned and pulled his gun as Clara shot him in the head.

Kensi and Deeks rounded the corner to see the two dead Comescu's. Kensi turned and walked over to the van and opened the door. "Get them in quick!" she said.

Deeks looked over at Callen who looked down at himself.

"You ok Bro?" Deeks asked.

Callen smiled, "Sure, I'm fine." He leant over to help pick up Nedela and then he collapsed.

"G!" Deeks said running over.

Callen sat down looking at the blood seeping through a wound on his abdomen. "Ow?" he said, He pulled Deeks in close, "Don't let her see." He said shooting Clara a look who was busy checking that Draga was dead. "Help me up."

"But you're hurt?" Deeks said looking at the blood on his older brother.

Callen closed his jacket, "it just skimmed me, please, Don't worry her." He said again.

Deeks nodded, "Kensi, Help me with her." He said and they carried the bodies of Nedela and then Draga and put them in the van."

"I'll drive the van," Callen said, "Take mama back to the motel, I'll join you in an hour." He said.

Without saying anything he climbed into the van and drove off.

Deeks walked over to his mother, "G says he'll meet us at the motel, come on mom." He said as all three of them went off.

* * *

Nell looked up as Deeks, Kensi and Clara walked into the room putting their gear on the bed.

It had taken them an hour to get back after cleaning up the area, and all three were tired.

"Well that's two down." Deeks said flopping onto the bed, "Three to go, did Callen drop the bodies off ok?" he asked.

Nell turned to him, "I thought you were taking the bodies to the extraction point?" she said.

Deeks shook his head, "Nope Callen offered, he was slightly injured, but said he was ok, so I figured he just wanted to do the easy bit."

Nell picked up the phone, "Kort? Nell Jones, Did Callen meet you with the first two bodies?" she asked. "No?!" Her voice shot up two octaves, "I'll call you back," she hung up on him as all eyes turned to her.

"Callen's not turned up," she typed into her laptop, "Damn, his phone is switched off!" she snapped.

Clara walked over to Nell, "Can you find him?" she asked worried, "Can you find my son?"

Callen had driven off with the bodies and then noticed a car following him, he took evasive maneuvers ignoring the pain in his stomach as the van lurched until the car came right up alongside him and forced him off the road, The van hit a curb and flipped he winced as his injury pulled and he crashed with the van on its roof, he crawled out of the van looking back at the two mangled bodies in the back and looked up.

"G. Callen…" the voice said, Callen shook his head as his vision cleared and he looked up into the faces of Vasilie and Mikhail Comescu.

 


	11. Chapter 11

Sam watched as Michelle and his daughter climbed onto the teacup ride at Disneyland, he had jumped at the chance of taking his family away, when Vance told them that they had this downtime, after all they had been through in the past few years they as a family needed this time.

He smiled and waved back at his daughter as she whirled around on the ride.

He shivered as a cold breeze came over him and a heavy feeling hit him. He shook his head, there couldn't be anything wrong. Callen was spending time with his mother and brother. The others he knew had the time off too, so they would probably be pursuing their own projects as well.

He stopped as his phone vibrated on his belt; looking at the caller ID he stopped dead and moved away from the crowd to a small alcove.

"Hetty? What's wrong?" he asked.

He listened as she filled him in on the mission that they had been on, "He said…" Sam growled, "He told me that they were having family time, what he didn't tell me was that for G, Family time means murdering people!" he exclaimed quickly lowering his voice as a few families with children moved away from him.

"Hetty is there any chance Eric can find him?" he asked his voice more controlled.

Hetty explained that they were working under the department of Homeland Security and as such did not have access to Eric.

"I'll call him, I'm in Anaheim with my family, I'll head back as soon as I can….and Hetty, if you see G. tell him I'm gonna kill him." Sam growled and cut the call off.

* * *

Hetty turned to the others in the room, "Sam's going to call Eric and head back here." She told them.

"I'll bet he was pissed." Deeks said, "He was talking all week about taking the family to Disney world."

"We will make it up to him later, if G's hurt he's gonna need Sam around." Kensi said.

"I do not understand?" Clara said. "Why would Grisha need Sam?"

Hetty sat Clara down, "A few years ago Mr. Callen was shot badly. Sam was there when it happened and he spent hours talking to him while he was in a coma, sitting with him when he came out of ICU, pushing him not to give up when he felt that no one cared if he was alive or dead. For over five years Sam was the only person Mr. Callen could call family."

"But we are here now?" Clara said, "I can help him." She looked over at Hetty who gave her a small smile.

"I know you love your son Clara, but Mr. Hanna…Sam is the anchor that Grisha has depended on, he may be the difference we need if he is hurt."

Clara sighed and nodded as Deeks walked up behind her and hugged his mom, "I understand, I missed so much." She said.

Nell jumped as her phone rang. "G?" she said not even looking at the caller ID.

"No sorry it's Eric, Sam called me, I found the van and some footage, I'm sending it to you…Nell, He's not dead, but it's not good." Eric warned her.

"Thank you." Nell said

She checked her email and opened the file Eric had sent.

They crowded around the small laptop and watched as Callen's van was side swiped and it double flipped and he crawled out of the wreckage.

"Who are they?" Nell asked.

"Vasilie and Mikhail Comescu." Hetty said grimly.

They watched as Callen weakly got to his knees and passed out in front of the two men. Vasilie and Mikhail dragged him to their car and dumped him in the trunk.

Vasilie walked back to the wreckage and looked stricken at the two bodies within; he walked back to his car and took a can of gasoline out of the trunk and poured it over the van and set light to it.

He roughly wiped his eyes throwing the canister into the flames and walked back to the car and drove off.

"That's all Eric has so far, it looks like Callen was hurt in the crash. He's looking for the car and will keep us in the loop." Nell said.

Clara stood there her hands tightly clasped over her mouth and tears spilling down her face.

"Ma…Mom…don't worry, Callen'll be ok, we'll find him." Deeks said reassuringly.

Clara shook her head, "I know Martin, I am CIA trained, I know he will be fine, I've seen this a hundred times before, but somehow this has effected me differently." She said.

"This time it is your child." Hetty said.

* * *

Callen slowly opened his eyes, his stomach felt like it was on fire and his head was throbbing, he could feel movement and winced as he realized he was in the back of a car.

He moved his arms, nothing broken… at least he thought not. He felt in his pockets. He grinned as he realized that he had his phone still on him.

He pulled it around to the front.

"Nell?" he said as he heard her voice.

She wanted to break down in relief but she was in work mode. "Leave your phone on we'll trace you help is on the way." She said.

"No." Callen said, "Vasilie and Mikhail have me, it's too dangerous, just track them and then stick to the plan."

The car went over a bump and Callen groaned as he dropped the phone.

"G? G!" Nell's voice could be heard as darkness enveloped him and he passed out again.

Nell listened as the car ground to a halt; she was frantically typing parameters into her laptop tracing his phone.

"Is he dead?" she stopped as a thickly accented Romanian voice came over the loudspeaker.

"Not yet, but soon, it looked like maybe my dear sister finished him off after all, he is losing a lot of blood, poetic justice do you not think Callen?" Vasilie looked down at the unconscious man, "Maybe I shall help."

Nell listened as she heard Callen being beaten. He groaned as Vasilie hit him in the stomach. "Mikhail do you have a cloth, I have Callen blood on me." He said disgusted.

There was a scraping sound as his body was lifted from the trunk.

"Vasilie!" Mikhail's voice came over the speaker, "He had a phone on him."

There was a crackling noise as Vasilie picked the phone up, "So…Pixie, is it? Are you still there?" a mocking voice came over the phone,

"Yes." Nell said her voice cracking, "please…please don't hurt him?" she pleaded.

"Who are you?" Vasilie asked, "A playmate perhaps?"

"I'm his girlfriend…please…I don't know what you want with Greg…he's only a shop manager!" she said shooting a look at the others.

"Well Pixie, he is much more than he told you…" there was a pause as Vasilie looked through the phone, "my my my…you are a very pretty thing and so….Imaginative in the bedroom," Nell blushed as she realized what he had found, "When I'm finished with Callen I will be coming to pay you a visit, little pixie."

"Leave her alone!" Callen's voice came from the background, followed by a grunt and a hacking cough as Callen was attacked again. "Nell run…!" Callen coughed.

"No Nell is it, if you want to see your boyfriend alive again, come to this address alone within the hour…and …wear something interesting." Vasilie smiled and hung up the phone.

* * *

Nell turned to the others with a huge smile on her face. "We've got him!"

She sent Sam the address that Vasilie had sent her and then turned to the others. "It's time for Callen's plan N."

"Plan N?" Hetty asked.

Nell smiled "Apparently it's short for plan Nell."

She sat back and filled them in on the plan that she and Callen had worked out a few days before.

"We knew there was a chance that after the killings someone would be nearby and follow him, so Callen was going to take the van and hopefully outsmart them. In the event that Vasilie or someone else took him we had a plan." She looked at them. "Callen had my number as an emergency contact and he took some…er…provocative pictures of me on his phone," she looked away embarrassed, "In the hope that Vasilie would think I was a totally innocent bystander and get me to come to his rescue, I'm going in armed and you guys will be my back up." Nell said.

"So he planned all of this?" Clara asked amazed at her son.

"I don't think he planned being shot." Nell admitted, "But we need to get there in an hour, I need to get changed into my outfit," she pulled a small outfit from her bag and Kensi covered Deeks' eyes.

"Where on earth are you going to hide a gun in that?!" Deeks exclaimed.

Nell grinned and turned to go into the bathroom, "You'll see Deeks, just get ready, we're going to get Callen." She said confidently and shut the door.

 


	12. Chapter 12

Nell stepped out of the bathroom and Deeks wolf whistled while Kensi covered his eyes.

"WOW! Nell!" Kensi said, "That's one heck of an outfit…Where _ **have**_  you put your gun?" she asked

Nell just looked down, "Oh it's here along with two knives." She smiled. "Can I use your car Hetty," She asked.

Hetty nodded, "Tell Mr. Callen, you are driving it home." She said handing her the keys to her Aston Martin. "Ms Blye, Mr. Deeks you will follow at a discreet distance, watch Miss Jones enter the building and then when she and Mr. Callen leave provide adequate cover for them both, if you please."

They nodded and followed her to the door, "Miss Jones?" Hetty said stopping her.

"Yes?" Nell asked.

"Maybe you would feel more comfortable wearing a coat over that, at least until you reach your destination." She offered.

Nell blushed and grabbed her coat pulling it on quickly.

"Bring him home to me." Clara said to Nell who nodded and then grabbed Deeks' hand as he walked towards the door and pulled him into a hug, "Be careful my son." She said and kissed his head, "I love you."

Deeks looked uncomfortable but kissed his mother back, "I love you to mom, don't worry I'll bring Grisha home." He turned and left following the others.

* * *

Callen lay curled up protecting his wound. His body was shaking, he figured he'd lost about a quart of blood and knew even though he hated it that he'd have a visit to the ER in his future.

Vasilie and Mikhail were arguing in the background and Callen was drifting in and out of consciousness.

"I will deal with this 'girl' of Callen's when she turns up," Vasilie said, he grinned and leaned over Callen as he moved away from him. "I will enjoy you watching her suffer."

"No!" Callen tried to move away and Vasilie laughed.

Callen passed out as another wave of pain shot through him.

He woke up again as the large metal door to the building they were in scraped along the concrete.

"Hel…Hello?" A nervous voice came.

"No…Nell…No!" Callen rasped, he'd forgotten the plan all he could think about was that she was walking into danger; he could see the Mikhail Comescu come up behind her and grab her from behind.

Nell screamed as Callen tried to pull himself up. "Let her go!" he snarled as he swayed from side to side.

Vasilie grabbed Callen and dragged him over to a chair and threw him in roughly.

He tied Callen to the chair, "You will watch." he whispered in his ear and then walked laughing as Callen struggled towards Nell who stood holding her coat closed shaking in the corner.

"No please don't..." her voice shook, "Please let him go." she begged.

He backed her up against the wall and as she turned her face away he licked up her neck and her face.

"NO!" Callen yelled struggling against his bonds fighting to stay conscious as a wave of pain crashed over him, "Nell, fight him..."

"You fight me and he will die." Vasilie snarled.

Nell shot Callen a look and turned put her hand on Vasilie's face and kissed him. he whispered in her ear and she nodded tears running down her face. she dropped her coat and showed him the outfit she suppressed a shudder at the obvious tent in his pants.

"Do it." he snarled pushing her to her knees.

She looked over at Callen, "I don't love you anymore, look at him Vasilie is all the man I'll ev...ever need." she sobbed.

Callen tried to struggle again, but passed out as he heard the sound of a zipper being pulled down.

Vasilie looked over at Callen in triumph. Then looked down in shock at the sound of a gun being cocked.

* * *

Kensi and Deeks cursed as they got stuck in traffic, "Damn, Nell's turned the corner already!" Kensi cursed as she watched the car turn the corner.

"Come on...Come on!" She cursed as the traffic went past, finally she hit the gas and turned the corner speeding after Nell.

They pulled up outside the warehouse that Callen was supposed to be in, Hetty's car was in the corner.

"Damn! she didn't wait for us!" Deeks exclaimed as they got out of the car.

They walked sliently around the building, "Can you see anything?" Kensi asked.

Deeks shook his head, "No, there's a door back here though." he tried the handle and grinned at her as the door slowly opened.

The offices were empty, a few old files and bits of trash strewn across the floor, Kensi stopped as she heard a raised voice, holding up her hand for Deeks to stop as well.

"No! Nell...Fight him!" Callens voice was heard and Kensi and Deeks shot each other a look at the obvious fear in his voice.

They moved closer trying not to make a noise.

Then they heard it, two gunshots and a loud scream.

Kensi kicked the door down, "NCIS Freeze...NICE!" she grinned at the sight before her,

"NO!" Deeks replied looking down at the man rolling around on his back his hands covering the bloody remains of his private parts, "Not nice Kenz...not nice at all!" he exclaimed.

Nell dropped the gun looking at the body of Mikhail who was lain on the floor behind the unconscious body of Callen dead and Vasilie was still screaming.

"Shut up." she snarled and shot him between the eyes. she turned to them and sighed, "He was giving me a headache." she shrugged.

She looked past Kensi who looked at her shocked. "G?!" She ran to Callen and dropped to her knees beside him, "Grisha...are you alright?" she stroked his face, "G...talk to me..." she begged.

He opened his eyes his head swimming, "No..." He pulled away from her and passed out again.

Deeks leant down and looked at him, "We need to get him to a hospital." he said and went to get his phone out of his pocket.

"Wait!" Nell took the phone out of his hand and dialed a number, "Kort, Nell...Callen can't talk right now, we have two more for you..." she rattled off the address they were at, closed the phone and turned to Deeks, "We should take him back to the motel, I have a first aid kit there, the hospital isn't safe."

She walked over to her coat and put it back over her outfit.

"Deeks...Stop staring and help me get him to the car." Nell snapped.

* * *

Clara looked up with a gasp as the door was kicked open and Deeks and Kensi carried Callen into the room and laid him down on the bed.

Nell walked over to the closet and threw her coat in turning around with a large first aid kit in her hands.

she opened the bag as Clara sat by her son and held his hand.

"You need to hold him still, I need to cut his shirt off." she said.

Deeks moved and took one side and Clara held her son's other arm, Callen even in his unconscious state groaned as she started to cut away the material from the skin, his blue t-shirt was a dark brown color where the red blood had seeped through the material.

"No...No more..." Callen groaned.

"Grisha...G, It's Nell, I have to do this to clean your wound."

"No...please it hurts...no..." Callen groaned, "'m sorry...don't blame Jason...please no..." Callen started to thrash..."Lemme go...No...JASON! NO!" he slumped back onto the bed exhausted.

Clara had tears falling down her face at her son's distress.

Nell cleaned the wound, anesthetized it and expertly stitched it up.

"Where did you learn that?" Deeks asked amazed.

"Scouts." Nell lied with a small grin.

She took a bandage out and placed it on the wound, and injected some antibiotics, "He should be ok now, let him sleep."

She said, she leant over and kissed him, "I lied, remember the plan, it was a lie, I love you I have always loved you, I will always love you, now heal and come back to me. Your mother and brother are here, you have a family and we are missing you." she said in his ear.

 


	13. Chapter 13

Callen lay in the bed, Nell was wiping his forehead with a damp cloth, "He's still running a fever." She said as Clara and Deeks hovered on the edge of the room.

"Maybe a hospital…?" Kensi started but was vetoed by both Clara and Deeks.

"No!" they said together, "Callista is still at the hospital and now she is the last Comescu left, if we take G there he'll be dead." Deeks said wrapping Kensi in a hug so she knew that he wasn't mad with her.

Callen moaned as the pain shot through him.

"Can't you do anything?" Nell asked Hetty.

"This is a clandestine operation, but I can call Tom Morrow and see if he has a DHS doctor in the area." She said picking up the phone. Nell and the others followed her out of the room.

* * *

"No…! Please…No!" Callen moaned as he thrashed about trying to rid himself of his nightmare.

Callen was on the beach; Nell was playing with a child…their child? And Clara and Deeks were sitting in a chair watching Nell play with her son.

Callen walked towards them and they stopped and looked at him.

"Go away!" Deeks shouted pulling his gun.

"We don't need you anymore," Nell said.

"I have a new son now, you are not my son anymore…the system changed you." Clara, "I have Martin now I don't need you."

Callen backed away as they all crowded around him.

"We don't need you…go away!" They said all laughing at him.

He looked up as Vasilie walked over to Nell and put his arm around her and the boy. "Vasilie is all the man I need, I don't need you, and you were never good enough Callen…"

The shadows of many of Callen's foster parents turned up on the beach, "Still not good enough…G…no home, no family, no name…useless, unwanted."

The faces laughed at him, over and over until Callen sat up in bed, sweat pouring down his face and grabbed his gun off the nightstand.

"NO!" Callen screamed and the others turned around.

Callen sat on the bed his eyes wide pointing a gun at them.

"G! Put the gun down." Nell said.

"No…Not…not gonna be hurt again…no more…can't." his hand went over his chest as a pain shot through his heart.

"Grisha…?" Clara said. "Moy syn?"

"No…not your son…no one's son, no home, no family…no…no name…useless…unwanted….please let me go…!" he pleaded.

"G, you're ill, you are wanted, you have a home and a family and a name, we all love you." Nell said.

"I heard you…you…you…" Callen let unguarded tears roll down his face, "you didn't want me…still unwanted."

Nell walked over to him and slipped her arms around him, "I want you, we all want you…your mother…"

"Is dead…I saw her die…then she wasn't?" he looked confused, "She didn't want me she had another son…another…? Deeks! She doesn't love me or want me, I'm just trash…I belong in the trash…used, abused useless." He cried as tears he couldn't stop fell down his cheeks.

Deeks moved to stand near his mother; Callen still hadn't put the gun down and was still waving it around threateningly.

"Callen, its ok, just rest, lie down and listen to Nell." Deeks pleaded with his brother.

Nell quickly shot Callen full of sedative and fighting it he fell back onto the bed, thrashing until the sedative took a full hold and he relaxed into sleep.

* * *

Deeks picked up the fallen gun and handed it to Kensi, turning to look at his mother's stricken face. "Mom…It's ok, it's just the fever, and he didn't mean any of it." He said as he turned to hold her.

Clara shook her head and pulled from her son's embrace, she walked to the window and turned to Hetty, "I need to know Henrietta, I need to see his file, I need to know all of it." She said adamantly as she looked over at the small woman.

"No…No you don't." Hetty advised her, "Let him tell you everything, when he is ready."

"No! I am his mother, I do not need to see the classified mission stuff, unless it is pertinent, I need to see the other file, his childhood file…I need to know what happened to him."

"I can't get into that." Hetty said, hoping Clara would let it go.

"I can." Nell said, "I think…I hope that if we see it, we can help G heal, something is going on in his head, it's causing him so much pain Hetty, we need to help him before the family can heal."

Hetty shook her head. She was the only one who had actually seen the file and she was worried, even Callen didn't know half of what was in the file, things that had happened after certain incidents, meetings and arguments that had gone on. If they saw the file Callen himself would realize how close Hetty had been to him for years and knowing that she had never taken him in but had left him in the cold, but not really well meaning embrace of the welfare system, might end up destroying the trust he had built up in her over the years. But looking at the faces of the two women who loved him as much as she did, she caved.

"I have a copy of his file," she admitted.

The others looked at her in shock.

"I have the only full copy of his file anywhere, even Callen hasn't seen it, I worry because he would not like anyone to know about some of the things he did, was forced to do as a child. I really will urge you to wait, I am certain if you see it without his knowledge it might damage things between you."

Clara shook her head; she was as stubborn as her son it seemed. "I will see that file, Henrietta." She demanded.

Hetty reached into her purse, handed Clara a thumb drive and walked over to Callen, "I am so sorry." She said and patted him on the arm.

Callen flinched under the touch and Hetty shook her head sadly, feeling like she was betraying the man whom she had spent her life protecting. As soon as the flash drive was opened Callen would never talk to her again.

She wiped her eyes and shook her head sadly as she turned to walk away.

"Tell him, I'm sorry…" she looked up at Kensi, Deeks and Nell, "I have…enjoyed…working with you all and I wish you all the luck for the future."

"Wait?"

"What?"

"Hetty?" all three said.

"You will see, now, I have to go." She said and walked out of the door, leaving the three agents dumbstruck, Clara annoyed and Callen blissfully unaware of the drama asleep on the bed.

 


	14. Chapter 14

Hetty walked out of the motel room and got into her car, tears trickling down her cheeks. This was not the way she had wanted him to find out, not the way she wanted to leave. This was why all the large UPS envelope in her case with his name on contained a letter of explanation and a thumb drive with his file on. He was supposed to see it after her death where she wouldn't have to deal with the recriminations of what she had done.

As she peeled out of the parking lot she saw her agents looking after her from the doorway, maybe one day she could go back, but after they found out what she knew, what she was, they would never trust her again and she knew that.

She headed for home, only Callen knew where she lived, all of her homes, but he was in no fit state to go looking for her, so she knew she had time.

"Bali?" she said aloud as she drove down the PCH, "Bali would be a good place to retire to." She decided as she took the turning for one of her large homes.

* * *

Deeks held Kensi as they watched Hetty drive away.

"Why would she just leave us?" Nell asked dumbstruck.

Deek shook his head, "We need to see what's on that Thumb drive and what secrets she is keeping."

They nodded and walked into the main motel room, Nell shot a look at Callen who was fast asleep and followed the others to the table where Clara was already plugging in the thumb drive.

One file was on it,

G. Callen 3.11.70 - …

She clicked on it as the others grabbed chairs and jostled for position behind her.

"Martin, I do not want you to see this." Clara said, "No matter what I learn from this Grisha is your brother, I do not want anything on here to take that away from you." She said.

"Mom…I need to know too, I want to help him." Deeks argued.

"Sit with your brother, my son, keep watch over him until we are able to do so." She asked him.

Reluctantly Deeks nodded and moved to watch over his brother.

Nell, Kensi and Clara opened the file and silently started reading. Kensi got up first, tears in her eyes and went to sit with Deeks for a while.

Nell let out the odd sob as she read all that had happened to Callen during his childhood realizing that his nightmare had to have been an amalgamation of that and what had happened in the warehouse with Vasilie.

She clasped Clara's hand as the two of them continued to read.

Deeks knew that look on his mother's face, she wasn't just angry, she was livid, especially when at one point she gasped and pointed to the screen.

Nell looked and read the same line… "No? No…not Hetty…how could she…she knew and she left him there?"

Deeks and Kensi came over and looked at what Clara was pointing at her hand shaking.

"No!" Deeks exclaimed, "She knew? She's a...But…she didn't tell him…?"

"Apparently not." Clara's tone was clipped and Deeks put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"So she knew and could have helped him, but according to this Callen was with a family called the Cottrell's Mike and Sheila Cottrell, he was with them for 3 weeks before he ran away and they were arrested. It says here that he was found a week later…in…in a…"

"Dumpster." Callen's voice came from behind them. "Where I belonged."

He limped over to them still slightly sleepy. "What's this…?" he asked and read over her shoulder, his forehead crease in anger. "SHE KNEW!" he yelled. "WHERE IS SHE!" he turned looking for her.

"She left G,"

Callen turned adrenaline fueled now, "I'm going," he grabbed his bloodstained shirt off the end of the bed and grabbed Kensi's keys off of the counter.

"Not alone." Deeks said and grabbed the keys off him; he walked out and got to the driver's seat.

"My car!" Kensi said grabbing the keys and sitting in the driver's seat.

Callen climbed in shotgun and Clara, Deeks and Nell sat in the back.

"You are not in this alone." Kensi said looking over at Callen, he was sweating still but determined.

He looked over and gave Kensi an address, "1237 Hillcrest drive, Encino." He said and looked out the window.

"Hetty's address?" Kensi asked and G nodded.

* * *

They pulled up outside her house and Callen drew his gun.

"Whoa there!" Deeks said, "G, you can't shoot her?"

"Watch me!" Callen snarled as the others looked on in shock.

He walked to the door and kicked at it twice before the frame gave and he walked in, ignoring the pain the action had caused in his side.

"HETTY!" he yelled.

She appeared at the top of the stairs a suitcase in her hand.

"Mr. Callen, I was just leaving." She said.

"How…How could you…I…" he was flagging now as the adrenaline in his body subsided.

She walked down the stairs and waited as he sank into a chair in the hallway.

"You owe me a new door, Mr. Callen." She said softly trying to keep him calm.

"I owe you?" he asked confused. "You knew…about the foster homes, the…the Comescu's, the bribes…you knew and you didn't help…because, you were one of them!"

Hetty sat in a chair opposite him. "Yes Mr. Callen, the last Comescu, you were hunting down, Callista…is my niece. Alexa Comescu was my cousin."

"So you allowed all the abuse…everything to go on?" he looked totally betrayed.

"I had no choice, but I never wanted you dead," she admitted, "Clara was my friend, I was shocked when I found out she was a Callen and part of the blood feud, I did what I could to keep you all from getting hurt, I moved to America and joined the CIA, I used the contacts I had to get you and your sister out of the country, and I left word everywhere in the family that you were dead." She said.

"I couldn't take you in as a child, especially after they found out you were alive, my only goal then was to keep you that way."

"Why so you could watch me suffer slowly…You knew about the Cottrell's?" He asked.

"It was a lesser of two evils." She said.

Callen stood up, "The lesser? The lesser of two evils…WHAT COULD BE WORSE THAN THAT!" he screamed.

"Alexa…Alexa had taken a home in Burbank, she wanted you with her husband…he was a psychopath, they had planned to torture you."

"Maybe it would have been better." Callen said softly.

"NO!" Hetty snapped causing the others who were watching to gasp. "No…" she allowed tears to fall. "Never would I allow you to go through that…you are brave Grisha, like my Nikita was brave, you needed to live." She sobbed and Callen calmed down and looked at her sadly.

* * *

"Your Nikita?" Clara said.

"I am so sorry…" Hetty gasped, "This is the reason that I kept you safe, Nikita is my son, I am your grandmother, you are as much my family as the Comescu's are. I cannot help that Comescu blood flows through my veins." She pulled up her sleeve showing him the 16 spoke Romani wheel tattoo, "I may have been marked by them, but my heart is a Reznikov. Alexsandr Reznikov, your grandfather was a good man and I loved him dearly. When he died my heart broke and I moved back to Romania to live with my family. Then our son, Nikita fell in love with your mother on assignment, I made friends with Clara through my work in the CIA and kept an eye on her, to find that Nikita had been sent to Siberia broke me, but I was determined to see you all safe, she insisted on waiting on the beach in Constanta, where she and your father both met, she didn't know Alexa's home was so close. I didn't mean for you to suffer as you did Grisha, I wanted to keep you safe, from my family, your family." She said.

G turned a strange shade and leaned over a trash can and puked. Hetty walked across to him and rubbed his back.

"I know this is a shock to you, I was leaving so you didn't have to face this…I am sorry." She said she let go of his back and moved away.

Callen's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist.

"Stay." He said he wiped his mouth and Kensi gave him a glass of water she had gotten from the kitchen.

He took a sip and turned to her, "So…Grandma…are you going to bail on me too?" he asked.

"Do you want me to stay?" she asked surprised, "I thought once you realized I was Comescu…"

"You were born Comescu, but your heart is a Reznikov, my grandmother…I just wish…you could have saved me." He said.

Hetty walked forward and wrapped her arms around him. "I tried, I tried so hard, I had you moved when I could, I didn't know about the Cottrell's, I was on assignment and it took me three weeks to get to you, by then the damage had been done, I saw you in the hospital."

"I remember…" Callen said nodding.

"You do?" Hetty and the others said at the same time.

Callen smiled, "I think that's why when you offered me the job at NCIS I took it, and somehow I knew I had seen you before and I could trust you, there was something about you, you must instinctively remind me of my father." He said.

Hetty smiled.

"So where were you running too?" he asked. "France? Germany? Or somewhere hot…Australia?"

She smiled and shook her head, "Bali…" she admitted.

"So, Grandma, Bali…or me?" he asked.

She pulled him into a hug again, "You Grisha…Always you." She cried as she hugged him, pleased he had not shot her after all.

Clara walked over to Hetty, "I didn't know you were Nikita's mother, he said you had gone away to America, I looked for his family after I came to America but I couldn't find them." She said.

Hetty pulled her into a hug too, "He loved you and Amy so very much." She told her.

Deeks looked confused, "So…wait hang on, you are a Comescu and Callen's grandmother?" he asked.

Hetty smiled, "Yes Mr. Deeks." She told him, she felt freer than she had in years being finally able to get that out into the open.

"So can I call you grandma too?" he asked with a grin as Kensi punched him in the arm.

Hetty and Callen laughed, "Not at work Mr. Deeks." Hetty smiled.

"So now what?" Kensi asked.

"Now we finish this." Callen said, "I still need to get Callista, but Hetty, you are and always will be a Reznikov and not a Comescu."

Hetty smiled at her grandson, "Thank you." She said with a small sigh.

 


	15. Chapter 15

They all sat around Hetty's table, as she and Clara handed out drinks for them all, tea and coffee.

Callen took his coffee and took a welcome sip, he was still feeling groggy but they were so closed to ending this he didn't want his mother or his grandmother sidelining him when they were so close.

"Callista has holed up at the hospital, my people tell me she hadn't left for days." Clara said.

"Your people mom?" Deeks asked.

Clara smiled, "Martin, you and Grisha are not the only ones with contacts, mine are a bit older than yours son, but their information is just as reliable." She said.

Both son's shot each other a look and smirked in unison.

Kensi and Nell smiled at the brothers interacting.

"We need to get in there." Callen said standing up and taking his mug to the sink.

"How?" Nell asked as Callen sat heavily in the kitchen chair.

"Well…" Callen lifted up his top and the other's gasped. "I'm still bleeding and I really could use some stitches," he admitted, "If my family come with me, Callista may watch you guys but not worry about me, I will be past reception and should be able to get closer to her." He said blinking rapidly as his head swam.

"G?" Nell moved closer and talked quietly to him, "How bad is it?" she asked.

"I can get to Callista." Callen replied, "But…with the original injury and what Vasilie gave me…Nell…I think it's bad, but don't tell mom or Hetty, I don't want to worry them." He whispered back.

Nell nodded, "We'll call the paramedics and I'll go in with him, you guys follow on as family and make sure Callista doesn't leave." She said picking up her phone and dialing.

"911, my boyfriend has been injured, he was….Oh my God, he was working in the garden and he got cut on something, he's bleeding so bad!" she exclaimed sounding every in the worried girlfriend, which in reality she was.

"My address?" she gave them Hetty's address and relaxed as they promised they were on their way.

"Nell, I have to take your stitches out." Callen said suddenly remembering she'd stitched him up earlier.

"But you'll bleed out?!" Nell grabbed his hand as he took a knife from his belt to cut the stitches with.

"Only until the medics get here." Callen argued, he cut the stitches that Nell had done and pulled them out by hand.

"Callen!" Kensi said in horror.

"Grisha!" Clara, "Stop, you will hurt yourself."

"It's just pain mom, its temporary it never lasts long, I'll be fine." He said trying to reassure her even though now the blood loss was making him feel faint.

"G, you can't do this!" Deeks argued looking at the horror on his mothers face, "Come on Bro, there's gotta be another way." He said breathing out in relief as he heard sirens in the distance.

"Gotta…." Callen swayed and collapsed onto the floor, "Gotta save mom and keep you safe little brother." He said.

Deeks held his head as the door knocked and Hetty let the paramedics in.

Callen knew what he had to do, but the edges of his vision were getting dim, "Nell?" he croaked. She ran over and grabbed his hand, "I'm here." She replied kissing him gently.

"Love you….don't lose my gun." He said as he allowed the darkness to claim him.

* * *

The medics dropped their bag and leant over him, checking out the wound, "What happened?" one asked.

"He is a federal agent; he was injured at work and didn't tell anyone." Hetty said stepping in.

"What's his name?"

"Grisha, G, Callen…" they all said together.

"Ok, you wanna pick one?" the medic said as he took a gauze pad out of his bag and proceeded to patch him up for the ambulance ride.

"Callen." They all said together.

The paramedic patched up the wound and checked his blood pressure, "There's almost nothing here? How long has he been injured?" he asked.

"Three days….I think?" Deeks said.

"And you didn't seek help before?" they said loading him onto a gurney.

"We didn't know, Callen didn't tell anyone he was injured."

They did up the safety straps, "Anyone coming with?" The paramedic asked.

"Me, I'm his girlfriend, Nell." Nell said and grabbed her bag, almost feeling the full weight of Callen's gun tucked in the small of her back.

"Which hospital are you going to?"

"Cedars-Sinai." He said as they walked Callen to the ambulance and got him started on a fluid IV drip.

Nell nodded to Deeks as they closed the doors.

* * *

"Ok, so it's showtime, remember Callista doesn't know that we know about her, Callen's a little bit more out of it than we or even he expected, but he's gonna be fine mom." Deeks said looking at the worry on his mothers face. He was worried too, but this had been his brother's plan and he was going to back him to the hilt.

Clara nodded but did not say anything, he mind flashing back to the man she'd killed in her kitchen, how he'd looked just as pale as her son right before he died. "I can't lose him again Martin; I don't have it in me to mourn him twice." She said as Deeks stepped over to hug his mother.

"G won't die, he's indestructible Ma." Deeks grinned.

Clara shook her head, "No…no Martin, no one is indestructible…this feud needs to end now, and my children…my remaining children need to live out their lives safely…." She shot Hetty a small smile and grinned at her son as she picked up her purse, "And give me lots of grandchildren."

"MA!" Deeks said grabbing the keys out of Kensi's hand and ushering her to the car.

Hetty and Clara followed along behind.

* * *

Arriving at the ER Callen was whisked through to the trauma unit and Nell followed along.

"Excuse me Miss?" A voice came, "Did you just come in with the patient in room 4?" she asked.

Nell turned but managed to hide her surprise as she came face to face with Callista.

"Yes I did…" she said her voice sounding shaky and it was no act, Callen had coded once in the ambulance on the way and although they had brought him back she had no idea how she was going to tell his family they nearly lost him. She burst into tears and Callista put a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"Sit down we just need to fill in the form with his details on it," Callista held out a pen as Nell dried her eyes.

"What's his name?" She asked.

"Grisha Callen." Nell said noting Callista's slow attempt to hide her surprise.

"Address…?" She asked focusing again on the form in front of her.

Nell answered all her questions and then asked if she could find out how he was.

Callista nodded, it was a question she wanted an answer to as well, "Do you have anyone else here with you?" she asked.

Not thinking Nell nodded, "His mother, brother and grandmother are coming,"

Grandmother? Callista thought, this was a surprising development. "I'll get the doctor to come out and see you, why don't you head back to the waiting room." She said showing her the way.

Callista walked with Nell as far as the doors and turned to go and get the doctor.

Halfway there she stepped out to try to ring Vasilie again; he would need to know this. Concerned as he yet again didn't answer his phone she left a message and went back to find out if Callen was dead yet.

* * *

Shaking Nell walked into the waiting room he tears flowing and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

"Nell?" Kensi asked spotting her first as the others came over to her.

"Nell, is my son alright?" Clara asked her voice shaking.

"He's in surgery, he lost a lot of blood…he…he died on the way here…" she sank to the floor all thoughts of the mission gone. Then a thought hit her. "Callista…she knows he's here…she talked to me…I…oh God! I told her he was here!" Nell dissolved into tears as Deeks took the gun from the small of Nell's back.

"Stay here," He said to the others and headed back to the trauma room.

He looked back as he went through the doors to see his mother's eyes full of worry looking back at him; he shot her a smile and walked through, the door shutting quietly behind him.

Deeks looked around and saw Callista going into a theater; he knew he could not go in there and that Callen was safe for now so he headed back.

He had stopped a doctor on the way out, enquiring about Callen and the nurse that helped his sister in law.

The doctor had been helpful, and had explained that although Callen's heart had stopped it hadn't been from major damage rather the lack of blood in his system; they were repairing the wound and in an hour or so Callen would be in recovery. They had to give him a blood transfusion as well, so they would be keeping him in until his vitals stabilized.

Deeks had thanked the doctor and slipped back out to the others.

Nell was sitting; her shaking hand around a cup of sweet tea that Hetty had procured for her and Clara was looking at her own drink in her hands and silently praying for the health and well-being of both her sons.

"Mom?" Deeks said standing in front of her.

"Martin?" Clara looked up.

"She's gone into theater, apparently to assist with an old lady who's having a heart bypass, she's out of reach for a few hours." He said that as he got back to them.

"Did you hear anything about Grisha?" Clara asked stilling the imperceptible shake of her own hand.

Deeks smiled, "They say he's gonna be ok, he's having his wound repaired and in an hour or so they should be wheeling him to recovery, He's got to have a blood transfusion as well. But seeing as he's a federal agent injured on a case, we will be allowed to have someone watch over him once he's out of recovery." He told them.

"You will keep him safe." Clara told him, he looked up surprised, she hadn't used that tone of voice with him since the first time he had snuck out to the beach and she had caught him and told him never to go there again.

He answered her the same way as he had done then, "Yes Ma'am."

There was no arguing with his mother when she had made up her mind and apparently watching her eldest son put his life in danger for them had flipped a switch in his mother, she seemed more determined than before.

"You will stay inside the room and I will wait outside in the corridor, if Callista tries to harm any of my children….she dies!" she said with a steely determination in her voice.

Hetty nodded, realizing that Callen got a lot of his inner strength from his mother and seeing it in Deeks; she wondered yet again how she could have ever missed that they were brothers.

 


	16. Chapter 16

Callista scrubbed up and walked into the operating theatre.

Callen lay on the table, his wounds were being stitched up and he was unconscious.

She nodded to the anesthetist, "Callie, you helping out on this one?" she asked.

Callie nodded, "Yeah, been asked to fill in for Nurse Owens." She said smiling, as she knew Nurse Owens would, when she was found, be on the way to the morgue.

She slipped in next to the anesthetist and looked at Callen's stats. She knocked a plug and grabbed an empty syringe off the side.

"Quick! Get that back in!" the doctor said looking over at them both, "What are you doing?" He said stunned as he noticed his nurse about to inject air into his patient. "STOP HER!" he yelled.

"STOP!" Clara's voice came over them all. "Callista Comescu, step away from my son."

"No…I will kill him…" She snarled as the syringe hovered near his artery.

Clara's eyes flicked back and forth the terror for her eldest son clear on her face. "No…don't please." She begged despite the hatred she felt for this woman she somehow understood where she was coming from. "This feud needs to end Callista."

"It can't while there is a Callen still alive." She snapped.

"Callista, it needs to stop." Another woman's voice came from behind Clara.

"Aunt Henrietta?" Callista's hand shook now.

"It needs to stop, Alexa was wrong, we have been wrong, let it go Callista." She said her gun pointed at her relative.

"No he's a Callen!" she argued as the doctor with his hand inside Callen looked worried.

"He is a Resnikov, he is my grandson and I will kill to save his life, If you die Callie I will be the last Comescu and the line will die with me, see sense child, put the syringe down." Hetty argued.

"No!" She lifted the syringe again.

It was the last move she made as a gunshot rang out and Callista dropped to the ground.

"Nurse! See if you can help." The doctor said.

"She needs a doctor?" the nurse said looking at him for help.

"I can't help…I am holding Mr. Callen's life in my hands…literally!" he said looking frantically at the artery he was holding that had been torn when Callista had pushed the anesthetist aside. "Get those people out of here I don't even know if this theatre is sterile!" he said panicking.

"Stabilize him as best as you can doctor, I will take care of this." Hetty said as she and Clara left the room following a nurse who had removed Callista's body.

* * *

Hetty looked at Clara who had turned pale.

"Is it really over?" she asked looking at the body.

Hetty nodded sadly remembering Callista as a small child who had delighted Hetty with her stories and kind heart, she'd never in her wildest dreams imagined that she would die a killer.

Clara sank down the wall, "My children are free?"

A nurse ran over "Ma'am are you all right?" she asked.

Hetty shook her head, "She's in shock…she needs some tea." She said as they helped her onto a chair, "One of her sons is in surgery, the other is in room 405 waiting for his brother to come out of surgery, I think she needs him here." She said.

The nurse nodded and picked up the phone to let the nurse on that floor know so Deeks could come and be with Clara.

Clara say with her head in her hands and tears of relief flooded out of her, "It's finally over!" she kept repeating.

Deeks ran through the doors his gun in his hand, "MOM!" he yelled scared for her.

"Martin…you don't need the gun." Hetty said, "It's over."

Deeks paled looking at the sadness in Hetty's face and his mother's tears.

"No!...No…He can't die…I just…I just found him!" Deeks dropped the gun and sank to his knees in front of his mother.

Clara looked at the anguish on his face. "Martin? Why are you crying, this should be a happy day?" she said confused.

"Hap…?" Deeks croaked out stunned, "My brother is dead and you think that we should be happy? Did you ever love him?" he stood up and backed away from her.

"No Martin wait, Grisha is fine, at least he's still in surgery, Callista is dead, the last Comescu, we should be pleased the feud is over." She explained.

"It's over? So you and G are safe?" Deeks looked from his mother to his boss.

"Yes finally." Hetty said.

* * *

Callen slowly awoke to a steady beep as a monitor checked his heart rate and blood pressure there was a quiet murmuring in the room.

"So I think maybe when he's better you should come on a picnic with us." Deeks' voice cut through his foggy haze.

"That would be good." Hetty's voice answered.

"Yeah a real family outing." Clara added, "It would be good to do things again as a family."

Callen groaned as a wave of pain washed through his system.

"Mr. Callen, welcome back." The doctor said he'd been standing at the doorway for a few moments watching this strange little family.

Callen opened his eyes, "Ne…Nell?" he called his throat sore.

Nell moved to his side and gave him some ice chips.

"Hey, you?" she said and kissed his forehead, "How are you feeling?"

"Sore…really sore, what happened?" he asked looking up at the red blood transfusion bag that was going into his arm.

"I need blood?" he asked surprised.

"You are ok Grisha, you need to rest moy syn." Clara said.

"Mom? Mom! Callista…!" Callen tried to struggle under her hands pulling away from her, if she was here? Why was he here…

"It's ok, it's over, and Callista isn't a threat anymore." Hetty said to him.

The doctor finished checking his charts. "Well, apart from the excitement during the surgery which I'm sure your family will fill you in on, everything seems to be ok." He said. "We need to get your white cell count up a bit and then you can recuperate at home for a week or so and then you should be good to go." He said.

Callen was suddenly tired and he lay back on the pillow and closed his eyes, he didn't want to sleep but he was comforted by the sounds of his family around and the drugs in his system.

He felt his mother's lips kiss his forehead.

"Sleep Grisha we will be back to see you tomorrow." She said softly, his hand grabbed her wrist.

He opened his eyes slowly convinced that they had given him a sedative, "You will come back?" he asked groggily.

She smiled, "I will be here in the morning, I am going to take your brother home now but I will be here for when you awake." She promised.

He winced a bit in pain and she pressed the morphine button, "Sleep now moy syn." She said and kissed him again. "I love you." She whispered as she left.

They walked out of the hospital and Deeks lagged behind.

"Is there a problem Mr. Deeks?" Hetty asked.

Deeks shot a look back at the building, "I'm worried, I mean…you're sure that G will be ok?" he asked.

Hetty smiled at Marty's concern for his brother, even though the relationship was new the love Marty had for his big brother was evident.

"He'll be fine we will go back in the morning." Hetty said, "You should get your mother home, feed your dog…relax. I have to contact Director Vance and let him know we will be back on rotation in a week or two."

"A week or two?" Kensi and Nell said.

Hetty smiled, "I have my grandsons' new family to get to know, as a family not as my agents and I look forward to that, if you are willing." She said.

Nell and Kensi smiled knowing that both of their men needed this greatly.

"Sam'll be pleased he can stay longer at Disneyland with the family." Kensi grinned.

* * *

The next morning Callen woke up in his hospital room, the sedatives had been dialed down overnight while he'd been sleeping.

He smiled, it had been a nice dream…for a while, he'd had a mother, and a girlfriend that loved him. He looked where the gauze pads were on his body; they covered all the bullet holes from where he'd been shot 3 years ago.

"She was pretty." He sighed wistfully to the empty room.

He sat the bed up a bit wincing at the pain, but anxious to leave before Renko made an appearance, he knew that Mike Renko and Sam were always riding his case when he got injured and this would be the worse one yet. However, he didn't really want to move. He was still stuck in the dream he'd had, his mother, a tall beautiful woman with a foreign accent, he'd had a little brother and there was Kensi…and a redhead. Nell…that was her name. He shook his head as the fog in his brain started to lift.

The door opened and the woman from his dream walked in.

"Mama?" his voice cracked and he moved away in shock.

"Grisha I hope you slept well moy syn?" She said wrapping her arms around him.

He grasped her tight and looked away as tears he wanted to hide fell.

"Grisha?"

"I….I thought…I thought it was a dream…" he said as he slowly released the death grip that he had on his mother.

"Hey Bro, how are you feeling?" Deeks asked as he opened the door, "Did you sleep ok?"

Callen nodded mutely as his brain caught up with the events of the last few weeks, Deeks was his brother, Clara was his mother, they had taken time off to chase the last of the Comescu's…he had killed them all…except…Callista…no she was dead, they told him that yesterday.

"They're all gone?" he asked.

Deeks shot his mother a worried look, but she nodded in understanding, "Yes my son, they are all gone."

Callen blinked in shock. "So…what now?" he asked, he was worried that now the ever present Comescu threat was gone that his mother would leave and he would go back to being alone.

"Now we get on with our life." Clara said, she moved away and sat down on the chair, "hopefully your doctor will be here soon."

Hetty, Nell and Kensi came in, "You trying to leave yet Callen?" Kensi asked with a smile.

"No." Callen snapped.

Kensi shot him a look and then looked over at Deeks who shrugged his shoulders.

Nell walked over and kissed him, "How are you feeling?" she asked.

"I'm fine." He said, "Now the case is over, when do we go back to work?" he asked Hetty.

"We have two weeks off, mostly for you to recover from your injuries and for us to bond as a family." Hetty replied smiling at him.

"Us to bond?" he asked confused and looked over at Nell for support. She smiled and sat on the edge of his bed and held his hand.

Nell looked at the others and realized what was going through his head; she had sat with him in the nights after he had found his mother and listened to his dreams and worries.

"She isn't leaving G, none of us are, and you have a family now. There are no more Comescu's all you need to do now is heal and get better, bond with your brother, mother and grandmother and get on with your life."

He looked in her eyes and saw the truth of her words.

He pulled her in tight, "I love you." He said quietly into her ear.

"I love you too." She whispered back.

He looked past her to the worried faces of his family and grinned. He had a family.

"So, when can I get out of here?" he asked.

* * *

A week later, he sat on the couch in his living room, his mother was cooking in the kitchen while Hetty sat at the kitchen table talking to her. Monty was on the couch with him, the shaggy dogs head was resting in his lap and his hand was absently scratching behind the dog's ear. Deeks and Kensi had gone surfing and Nell had taken Callen's car and gone out, she wouldn't say where she was going but she smiled and said he might like it and she might tell him when she got back.

He listened to the hustle and bustle that was now the norm in his home…no not just his home, his family's home.

He heard a car pull up in the driveway and a crash and Nell swearing from outside, he got up and walked to the door.

"You ok?" he asked looking at the frustration on her face with a small smile.

"Yeah…I just dropped this…" she gestured to a bottle of apple cider on the sidewalk.

"Never mind, I'll clear it up." He said. He looked up to see her with tears in her eyes, "Nell?"

She swiped her eyes angrily. "I didn't mean to drop it." She said as Deeks and Kensi came up behind her.

Deeks saw the broken bottle and Nell's tears and jumped to conclusions.

"G? what's going on…what did you do to Nell?" he asked

"ME!" Callen exclaimed.

Kensi took Nell inside as the two brothers squared up to each other on the doorstep.

"You obviously upset her!" Deeks shouted, he loved his brother but it did look like he'd just yelled at Nell or even worse hit her, and it pushed his buttons.

"I opened the door, how in the hell would that have upset her!" he yelled back.

Clara opened the door and glared at her sons, "Inside…NOW!... potoraplivat'sya!" she snapped.

Deeks stood staring not understanding and Callen had shot inside, "She said hurry up!" he hissed at his brother.

Deeks followed his glaring mother inside and stood shooting annoying looks at his brother who had sat on the couch.

Nell had gone into the kitchen and was tearfully sitting with Kensi and Hetty talking quietly.

"Now, do my boys want to tell me why you were both arguing on the doorstep like pridurok!" she said her hands on her hips.

"Mom! We weren't arguing like idiots, I wasn't arguing Nell dropped a bottle and she started crying and then Marty comes up and yells at me, I did nothing….GOD!" he snapped, "Maybe I was better off without family, at least I wasn't accused of being abusive then." He stood up and paced the room.

"Women don't cry for no reason _ **Grisha**_!" Deeks snapped.

Nell nodded to Hetty who walked into the room with her, "You are right, women don't cry for no reason and I have one just not the one you think." She said

Callen stopped pacing and watched as she gave a small smile, "I am sorry G; I didn't mean to let my hormones get the best of me." She looked at him, and sighed, as his face remained blank and confused.

Deeks stared his mouth agape, "You mean….?" He started and then grinned as Kensi nodded.

Clara smiled and hugged the young woman.

"I…I don't…?" Callen stood there, Nell says she hormonal and then everyone's grinning?...Hormonal. he thought about it, you only get hormonal when….

He stared at her, "Are you telling me?"

"Yes Grisha, we are having a baby, your mother is going to be a Grandmother and this child will be raised with it's family."

Callen got up and walked to the kitchen in shock and grabbed his broom, walked out the front door and slammed it.

Nell looked at Clara and burst into tears, "Does he hate me?" she asked.

Clara smiled, "No my child, he's in shock," she laughed a little, "When I told his father I was expecting our first child, he went to the woods and chopped logs for the fire, and it was the middle of summer."

Nell nodded comforted and sat on the couch next to Kensi.

Callen swept the path, he wanted to yell, to laugh to cry, his family was getting bigger, Sam would be insufferable when he found out, there would be advice coming out of his ear holes.

He wasn't sure how to be a father and he knew he would need advice for Sam from that, and as he breathed and brushed, he felt the tension leave him.

A new Callen was going to be born, and this one would have a name and a family.

He tipped the broken glass into the trashcan and smiled; turning to walk to the house he didn't see the man with a camera in a car down the road taking pictures of him and his family.

He opened the door walked in and grabbed Nell in a huge hug. "Thank you…thank you" he kissed her deeply and looked around at his loving family.

Hetty and Clara laughed and Deeks clapped him on the back as Callen with a smile shut the door to be with his family.

 


End file.
